We get this question a lot. The college process is long and winding. As such, people always want to know which year matters the most. This likely comes from a desire to wrap one’s head around putting all of their effort into a short spurt. Thinking of the process in this way, instead of as a holistic four-year process, might feel more manageable to some. However, college applications aren’t a test a student can cram for. The reality is, all four years matter for kids who want to get into, say, Stanford.
Freshman Year
Freshman year is the one that is most often neglected in the college process. Academics are the most important component of getting into a great school. We encourage all of our students to take the highest-level classes offered, particularly in the academic area they intend to pursue most strongly over the next four years and into college. If you want to get into a top-notch school, you also need to get A’s in those classes. Your academic performance freshman year is the path forward to taking AP classes for the rest of high school. You should also enroll in extra-curriculars your freshman year that are aligned with your academic area of interest. I
t’s also really important to build good habits of studying and focus in your freshman year. The college application process is a marathon. While consistency really matters (A’s all the way through school are better than a sudden improvement in your junior year), colleges understand that things happen. If something happened in your freshman year, a family situation or an illness for example, that prevented you from excelling, there’s an Additional Information section where you can note these issues.
Sophomore Year
Sophomore year is also extremely important. In addition to maintaining academic excellence, this is the year to assume leadership positions in the extra-curriculars, organizations, and projects you began freshman year. The summers before and after sophomore year should also be approached with intent. Take a rigorous college summer course or start a business or project that’s challenging and enriching. Most of all, you should be developing your academic area of interest into a niche. For example, say you’re interested in English, pick a more narrow path, such as English Literature, and build your resume and academic path around that niche. You should also begin learning about what you like and dislike in colleges (distance from home, weather, size, social environment) by doing serious research online and social media, and visiting campuses once colleges resume and it’s safe. Also, we encourage our students to start studying for the SAT or ACT (take a practice test of each and pick one) so that they’re done by the end of junior year.
Junior Year
Junior year is about mastering what you’ve built over the last two years. Continue to excel in your niche and carve out specificity in your academic field. Become the president of the clubs you joined or started. Take and then re-take the SAT or ACT until you’ve achieved the score you desire and start writing your college essays. Additionally, you should identify the SAT IIs you’d like to take (ideally those that correspond to your academic niche). If you do emphasize the college process throughout high school, junior year is about finishing what you’ve started and wrapping it up into a nice bow in the form of your applications. Senior year should be smooth sailing. Let the acceptance letters roll in and enjoy your last year of high school.
The college process can be daunting. But breaking it up year-by-year will not only help you build an impressive resume, it will help you get through the next four years with relative ease. It will be challenging an require hard work and strategy, but spreading out the work over four years is a lot healthier than cramming it into one.
Need help developing a four-year strategy? Call us. We’re experts at helping students design a college path.