What Should High School Juniors Be Doing Right Now? – Spring Edition

I’ve always considered February to be a transition month. When I was a school college counselor, I would see symptoms of senioritis start to kick in as the juniors would begin their annual annexation of my office. It was always a fun time of year as the excitement of a new class would begin to manifest itself. February is kind of my September. 

But to juniors, this is still the middle of their overhyped yet still important year. I want to revisit a fall blog post about what I said high juniors should be doing. In this spring edition, you’ll see that many of the fall tasks have extended to the spring, but now we’re getting to the real work.

First, an update on the tasks that began in the fall: 

“Focus on classes, but not solely on grades” - The main point of emphasis in the fall was to develop an academic identity while doing your best in the classroom. It is also possible (or definite in the case of UC’s and Cal States) that this will be the last semester/trimester of grades a college will consider before making their decision, so try to finish strong. You should also start thinking about what courses you will be taking next fall. These courses and grades will “count” as well, for lack of a better term. 

“Standardized test prep” - Hopefully you have a plan in progress at this point. While it’s still unclear what role testing will play next year, you should at least have it covered. Remember that this is your personal testing timeline, not anyone else’s. And as you start attending info sessions or researching online, try to read between the lines of what colleges are saying. Do they sound truly “test optional” or is “test aware” a better description of their policy?  

“Reconsider your extracurricular involvement” - As you begin to determine what activities you actually care about, it’s time to start considering what leadership roles you might play. I personally have some issues with what being a “leader” actually means, but if you are doing the things you want to do, taking more responsibility should hopefully come naturally. I’ll put it another way. If you are an introvert, like myself, what are the things that bring out your more extroverted side?

“Think about summer plans” - It felt early to be thinking about the summer the last time I suggested it. Now it’s time to finalize your plans. Some summer program deadlines may have even passed by now. Whatever you decide to do, think about how you are personally benefiting from it. That super exclusive internship may not have all the perceived or practical benefits you might think. 

“Start researching colleges” - Again, this felt early at the time and this was also when college reps were visiting high schools. Research will take a slightly different form now. Whether it’s online research or hopefully on-campus tours (assuming the health situation cooperates) over spring break, this is the time to start looking and developing your college list. Try not to look for a dream school. Look for communities that you can envision yourself being a part of. 

“Apply for scholarships” - As you research colleges, look into what their scholarship process entails. Some colleges have a separate process for scholarship applications and other schools will automatically consider you for scholarships when you apply. If financial aid is going to be a factor of where you ultimately attend, this task should be high on your list. 

And now, some new information:

Look into how your high school will support you - If you haven’t already, try to find out what support your high school will offer you this year and through next fall. Are there programs, presentations, or summer essay writing workshops offered? You might discover that you do not need outside help at all. If you haven’t met with your high school counselor in a while, try to do that sometime this semester. One major topic of conversation would be the next point.

Letter of recommendation planning - Depending on your high school college counseling program, you may already have a process in place. Otherwise, if you anticipate applying to at least one college that requires a counselor letter of recommendation, you should meet with your counselor to ask what information they need about you. They may have a “brag sheet” template available, or you may have to provide information yourself. Colleges are understanding if you attend a school where your counselor has a massive caseload, but any context they can provide in a rec letter would only help. For teacher recommendations, think about what teachers (no more than two) you want to write your letter and ask them in person if they would be willing to do so. Do this before the end of this school year (yes, that early) and not a week before your first deadline. 

Get organized - This can come in many forms and different things work for different people. Personally, I’m a fan of the spreadsheet(s), used most often for college lists, but you can also add various deadlines, action items or just a series of notes. Students, I’ll throw this out there, this is also a way to show your parents that you are on top of things. 

Think about your story - The Common Application essay topics were recently announced and thankfully they are unchanged, so the good news is that you can start your essays right now! Okay, I know that’s not happening. But you can still start thinking about what you hope to communicate about yourself in your applications. It feels like getting into college involves a combination of box-checking and “packaging,” a term that used to get thrown around, though I don’t hear it as much these days. Try not to think about your story in these terms. This is really about the readers getting to know you as more than just a series of numbers and accolades. There are so many parts of the application that are meant to impress–your grades, test scores, activities, awards, even letters of rec. Your story is more about authenticity and self-awareness.

Juniors, you have work to do. Just try to ignore the seniors.