Survival Guide For Rising Juniors
Although junior year tends to hold a lot of weight in discussions regarding college readiness, it is often too little too late. Once school reopens in August, juniors are placed on a treadmill that seems to never stop. AP’s, SAT’s, ACT’s, you name it; besides not having a proper schedule for their most important year, juniors lack the self-confidence to apply. However, as someone who has watched way too many college-related videos, spoke with way too many college students, and researched way too many programs he cannot afford, I decided to make this short, little survival guide for rising juniors who–for the most part–have no clue what they’re doing.
Testing
Get. It. Out. Of. The. Way. As. Early. As. You. Can.
If you’re a student who has been taking high school classes since middle school, I suggest you research SAT’s and ACT’s testing days during the summer and BEGIN PRACTICING. That way, you could take it early in your junior year. The tests are not hard. In fact, I personally think EVERYONE could score above Bright Futures’ standards. It is all, and I really do mean all, about practice. Some students, I’ll admit, have received extremely high scores without picking up a practice book or using any online resource. But, if you don’t identify with such students, there is still hope.
I, personally, used Khan Academy to help me with practicing. Here’s what I can tell you from my experience:
Reading: Works. However, give yourself less time. On the actual test, I wasn’t able to finish because, unlike Khan Academy, CollegeBoard forced me to go back and forth between pages. Therefore, while the passages and questions are similar to an extent, it is much easier to manage your time online than it is the day of the test.
Math: Don’t use Khan Academy. It was a waste of my time. I would always score lower on this section than I did on reading, yet on the actual exam I did miles better. The questions are “quirky” on Khan Academy and don’t necessarily test the skills you will be tested on. Try CollegeBoard’s released exams, which can be found on Reddit (best resource ever). While I did not use any books besides released practice tests, there are also many math practice books that align with the SAT curriculum (such as The College Panda’s SAT Math workbook, which is more so a refresher than anything).
As for ACT, I wasn’t a fan so I can’t talk much about that (for the record, I do not consider myself a fan of any test). Know that it is much faster than the SAT, but the content is a bit easier. Therefore, if you usually have time left on tests you take in school, you might like it better. I ran out of time on the SAT myself, so I knew the ACT was not a test I wanted to befriend.
If you are thinking about taking the SAT, and you feel prepared (according to your practice tests), I suggest you take it in December of your junior year. Trust me, after receiving my score, I was relieved to know that 1) I would not have to cram my testing days in the beginning of my senior year and 2) I now knew exactly which skills I needed to improve with AMPLE amount of time to do so. On top of that, you never know when another quarantine might hit, so you don’t want to leave it till the end and let life decide your fate for you.
Programs
Once you enter junior year, you will be OVERWHELMED with the amount of summer programs available, just as I was. Not only will you feel pressure to apply to all of them, but you might also lack the time and energy to research each one. However, if you research them during summer, you will have more than enough time and energy to apply to every single one. Do note that you will be applying during the hardest school year thus far and it will be stressful, but with the right attitude and, most importantly, the right organization you will be just fine.
The first thing you should know is that while there are a lot of summer programs, most are not free. For example, I myself had applied for Georgetown’s summer program, not realizing that there is no way I could fundraise four to six thousand dollars in the matter of a couple of months. Therefore, I had to turn it down as I didn’t want to be in debt before I even entered college. So, if your parents can afford it (or even you yourself), I suggest you apply to as many as you can, to all different types of programs that interest you and see what happens. If not, don’t worry–there are still a lot of opportunities for low-income and minority students.
A few of the low-income programs available for juniors are: USC’s Bovard Scholars, MITES/MOSTEC, UChicago’s Phoenix Scholars, Questbridge’s College Prep Scholars, and Dartmouth Bound.
It is important to mention, however, that some programs–like UChicago’s Phoenix Scholars–will only be available to apply for certain minorities. Therefore, while you may be low-income, they will not review your application unless you are Latin American, African American, Native American, etc. So, before applying, make sure you fit their criteria.
Great resources to find more programs and opportunities include CollegeVine, College Greenlight, and your CAP counselor. In fact, the majority of programs I applied to had been introduced to me by my CAP counselor. That Edmodo is crucial to your success. In addition to this, if you have a few dream schools, make sure to sign yourself up for their mailing list; this way, you may receive many opportunities via email from the schools themselves.
Also, even if you choose not to apply, look through their prompts and try to write a few essays as practice. Because of the programs I applied to, I have answered 20+ prompts which are going to help A LOT during the application process beginning in August.
Scholarships and Awards
This one is less important, but important nonetheless. Although I suggest all juniors look into HUGE scholarships, like the Coolidge Scholars and Jack Kent Cooke, they are extremely selective. Therefore, I personally think it is more important to look into smaller scholarships, or programs instead. In fact, if you are low-income, don’t bother looking into these scholarships; instead, look into the schools you are thinking about applying to and see how much financial aid they would offer by using their “Net Price Calculator.” If it turns out that you won’t need to take out any loans to attend the college/university in the case that you are accepted, then there is no point in applying to those selective and time-consuming scholarships.
However, I do suggest looking into academic awards. Before school begins, use the resources I mentioned earlier to search for a variety of contests that could potentially be listed under the award section in your application. While they are competitive, they will give more recognition toward your overall college application. In fact, one that you should look into as soon as you can is the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. I only mention them because when I decided to apply, it was too late. Therefore, look at all the deadlines over summer and try to produce your best work; perhaps, take inspiration from the winners of previous years.
Although you shouldn’t spend all of your time on this–as it is extremely selective and not as important as your “stats” or “extracurriculars”–it is always good to test your fate. If you do end up receiving anything, it will only boost your image as an aspiring leader who is willing to create meaningful change on their campus.
In the end, don’t wear yourself out too much trying to apply to everything. I did that, but I don’t recommend it. Know your limits and focus on what YOU love. There will be many students who will join every club, have great test scores, show extreme rigor, yet not get into their dream schools. I have seen it happen way too many times. It is not always about how many check marks you can gain, but who you are as a person. Commit to activities that you genuinely enjoy–it will show once you begin writing your essays. Decisions are often random for top-tier schools, so know that it is not always in your hands. Yes, you heard that right, you don’t have as much control as you think you do. Do your best with everything you choose to do, but never let anxiety get in the way of your well-being. You are doing enough. Stay prepared. Stay organized. You will do great. I wish you all the best of luck!