There is a notion that what colleges like to see above all else is an improvement from freshman and sophomore to junior year, but the application process actually begins the moment you enter high school. It’s built over the course of four years and if you plan to get into a great school, you’ll have to work hard sophomore year and begin focusing on how you’re going to plan the next few years. In this post, we’ll help you map out what you should be doing sophomore year to build a strong foundation for your college applications.
Grades
Nothing matters more than your grades. While extra-curriculars and essays are important, colleges are ultimately academic institutions and in order to get into your top choice school, you’ll need to excel academically. The first thing you should do is determine your academic niche. Throughout high school, you should position yourself as a specialist in one to three specific academic areas. Colleges aren’t looking for a bunch of undecided applicants. They are looking for a group of people who will go on to be the top professions in their fields. As such, identify an area of interest and pursue the highest-level classes and that subject (and all subjects if you can). In addition, work hard and get great grades.
Testing
A lot of people ask us when the right time to begin studying and practicing for standardized tests is. Even during the pandemic when the future of testing is uncertain, we would recommend preparing at the beginning of your sophomore year. Start out by deciding which test is best for you. Take a practice of each the SAT and the ACT and stick with the one on which you do better. We recommend all our students take their last SAT or ACT test junior year so it’s done and they’re not worrying about cramming their senior year.
Extracurriculars
Much like we recommended in the first paragraph, we encourage all students to carve out an academic niche for themselves. Your extracurriculars should reflect this niche, too. Identify the clubs at your school that are relevant to your academic area of interest. If there isn’t one, start one. The goal should be to obtain a leadership position in your sophomore year and become president in your junior year. But you shouldn’t limit yourself to clubs. Extra-curriculars can also include internships. If there’s a company or organization in your town that’s relevant to your academic niche, reach out about creating a (remote) internship. You can also self-start a project. Let’s say you intend to pursue theater. Start a community theater group or a project to teach theater to elementary school kids doing remote learning.
Summers
Your summers should be spent with as much intent and goal-orientation as your regular semesters. We recommend lining up summer plans early and also, being adaptable. Like much of the year, the upcoming summer is a big question mark. Schools might be offering intensive summer programs, or they might still be opting for online learning. So, we not only recommend being flexible, but lining up a few possible options for yourself. Summer courses at colleges are great options during a normal year. We often recommend students take a college course in their academic area of interest. If you go this route, make sure this is a course at a top-notch school and is actually challenging. But after a year of Zoom class, you might not want to sit in your parents’ house doing a remote class if the world is open. Another option is an internship. We don’t recommend signing up for pre-programmed internships. High school interns inevitably end up going on coffee runs and whatever you do this summer needs to actually be rigorous and a learning experience to matter for college. Plus, it should be enriching and interesting to you. Find a company or org relevant to your academic niche that doesn’t offer a pre-packaged internship and reach out to see if you can set something up where you’ll be doing actual work that’s interesting to you and challenging. Do the same with a college professor who teaches in your field and ask if you can be a research assistant. Come up with both an in-person and remote plan just in case. Colleges also understand that applicants need to make money. Summer jobs are also a great option. Hard work reflects well. Even if the pandemic allows for summer travel, do not go on a Teen Tour or a week-long community service trip to a developing country. These trips scream privilege and make for trite essays.
Building a College List
Once it’s safe, the first thing you should is go on some college tours to learn about your likes and dislikes. In the meantime, start researching universities. You should do deep-dives into their academic offerings, but also, get a sense of the campus and social life. Check out geo-tags on Instagram and take virtual tours. You want to get a sense for whether or not you are enticed by a big school or a small school, a school with a city campus or a traditional quad, somewhere that’s a plane ride from home or a train ride from home, a school with a big football following or a liberal arts college, etc.
Sophomore year might seem a bit early, but it’s a great time to get started on your applications and prepare a solid foundation for the road ahead.
Need help creating a college plan? Reach out to us. We’re great at helping sophomores feel comfortable with the college process.