Help

Hey! also a fellow junior here. Junior year is the year that colleges look at the most from what I've heard, so your grades are really important this year. You should aim to get high grades in your courses which should be more rigorous compared to sophomore year (but don't overwhelm yourself, know your limits). If you have the option, I would highly suggest you do dual enrollment courses, Honors classes, or APs. Dual enrollment courses are usually easier to manage, however your grades on those will transfer to your college GPA as well so I'd make sure to take those courses pretty seriously. MAKE SURE you know your state's high school graduation course requirements and make sure to knock those courses out.

This is also the year where you should try to create study schedules and figure out which study techniques work best for you, since you'll be needing these skills to get you through the rest of your high school and college years.

If you haven't taken the ACT or SAT yet, you should take it this year if you plan on applying to non- test blind universities. (You can take it more than once so I would try to take it as early as you can Junior year to get a feel for the exam, its normal to take it multiple times so don't worry if you get not an amazing score the first time).

If you haven't gotten into any extracurriculars, I'd recommend you do so! If you have some already, you should focus on excelling in those and networking. Getting leadership positions in extracurriculars look really good to college admission officers, it shows your commitment.

For looking at colleges, sit down one evening and just search. Search up colleges nearby and ones farther away. Consider scholarships your state has, in-state vs. out of state cost, academic requirements for each college (GPA, ACT/SAT score, etc etc.), size of the college, location (do you want to be close to home? do you want to go out of the country? things like that), if they have your preferred majors, study abroad programs, clubs and student organizations, housing situation etc.

Make a list of about 6-15 colleges that interest you and if you can, visit a couple, do a tour, see if you like the vibe of the campus. Maybe talk to somebody who went there or watch a youtube video about other people's experiences at that college. Make sure they're the right fit for you. Try to have your final list of colleges around Spring semester.

ALSO take care of yourself. this year may be stressful but in order for you to succeed and do the best you can, you need to do lots of self-care.

You'll need to start college applications the summer after Junior year, so enjoy it, and just do your best! Wishing you lots of luck!

Spend extra time each day working towards your individual study and extracurricular goals- even just by ten minutes. Build a relationship with your school counselor and a few teachers, and see if you can run for a leadership position.

I know this app has a college list suggestions, but I've also used other apps. Website like Niche and Big Future are good helps. It's also a lot easier if you know you major, as well as, what you want out of the school. For example, I wanted to go to a HBCU. Of course they also have religious and other types of specialty schools. Let me know if you need any help though!

- Ms.$ch0lar