For High School Sophomores: A Mid-Year College Admissions Checklist from International College Counselors

Sophomores: graduation may seem a long way off, but you’re permanent record is being written now. Colleges will be looking at how you spent this year.

THE SOPHOMORE MID-YEAR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CHECKLIST

Work on Your Academic Performance

Now is the time to work hard. Set the goal of moving up an academic level in your junior year. Keep your grades up and you may be able to move from honors to AP or from regular to honors. This step up is what colleges want to see.

Prepare early for your midterm exams.

Evaluate your performance. Are you having problems focusing or understanding the material? Could your writing skills be improved? Ask your teacher what you can do to improve.

Evaluate your study skills. Work on your concentration and time management. Next year, will be your most important high school year academically.

Start preparing now for the SAT/ ACT

If you take on the SAT little by little, it won’t feel so overwhelming later.

Review your PSAT test results. They will give you a good indication of what you need to work on.

Read. Read. Read.

Work on your vocabulary. If you learn a word a day between now and next year, that will put you 365 words ahead.

Evaluate your Extracurricular Activities

Explore your Interests. Try out some new activities. Drop the ones you hate. This is the time to find your niche.

Get involved in the activities you like.

Colleges will be looking for true involvement. This means that at the end of four years you will, ideally, be able to demonstrate to the admissions team some level of accomplishment, initiative, commitment, and leadership.

Beware the sophomore slump

It’s natural to feel like you’re losing interest. Now that you know that, do everything you can to stay focused!

Psyche yourself up about college

Start doing a little no-pressure research. Take a look at colleges online. Don’t know where to start? Start with those you heard about and those with sports teams you like. Take a virtual tour or two. If your family goes on a trip somewhere, see if you can tour a campus away from home. College websites can tell you who to contact.

Consider what you may want to major in.

Introduce or Re-introduce yourself to Your College Counselor

Schedule a meeting for sometime next semester with your high school guidance counselor or your International College Counselors college advisor.

Prepare for the meeting by taking your class schedule. Tell your counselor you want to get into a good college. Ask what you need to do to accomplish that goal.

Meeting with your counselor is also a good relationship building move. For the next two years, this person is going to be one of the most important in your life.

This year, college advisors at International College Counselors helped more than 200 students find, apply to and gain acceptance into the college of their dreams. The expert college counselors at International College Counselors are dedicated to helping students and their families successfully navigate the college application process.

For more information on International College Counselors or to contact an expert college counselor, please visit www.internationalcollegecounselors.com.