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What Should I Do This Summer?
Twas the month before Summer, and all over town,
Not a junior was prepared, no one had broken ground;
They studied for AP and subject tests with care,
In hopes that Harvard would soon answer their prayer;
Their teachers had written their letters with pride;
While parents and guardians raved by their side;
Mamma had bombarded the guidance counselor suite,
“Little Johnny needs AP French—he will be elite!”
Fall classes were picked, and college tours set,
When all of a sudden, Little Johnny awoke in a sweat.
“Oh no!” He exclaimed as he started to panic,
“I have no plans this summer—I need something gigantic!”
We know. How clever, right? Let’s focus on what brought you here, though. If you’re reading this right now, you don’t have summer plans. Take a breath. You’re going to be fine. It’s not IDEAL but it’s not the end of the world. Let’s start planning. If you’re reading this right now, it’s too late to apply to a summer program and more likely than not, you can’t intern anywhere. You could get a paying entry-level job somewhere for the summer, but it might not be the kind of resume boost you’re looking for.
How To ask for a Teacher Recommendation for College
While all of the components of your college application are important, one particularly crucial element that requires notice, effort, and thought are your teacher recommendations. Teacher recommendations are an integral part of your application because it’s an outside perspective. Your teachers and counselors are offering a discussion of your character based on their observations and experiences, and that should not be overlooked. It’s important to give this aspect some significant thought, and just FYI: don’t just assume you should ask your English teacher because you’ve gotten straight 100s on all of your quizzes and papers. Think again, and read on.
Extracurricular Ideas for the Summer after Junior Year of High School
Summer is upon us. Ok, it’s not, but the time to think about and solidify your summer plans is certainly upon us.
We strongly advise against anything that could be considered what we like to call “resume building.” We are anti-resume building, and by resume building, we mean engaging in activities for the sole purpose of listing it on your resume because you think it will “look good.” Spoiler alert: admissions officers can tell when a resume has been padded by “look good” items and you attempting to hide your lackluster interest under a thing you did with a catchy cause or at an exclusive institution.
ACT, SAT, and AP Testing Schedule for Juniors
It’s the beginning of second semester junior year and it’s starting to seem real. The deadlines are in sight, test prep is getting revved up to high gear, you’re finalizing the details for school visits over spring break, and the thought of writing your college essay gives you anxiety. It’s completely understandable that by this time of the year you’re feeling exhausted, and as a parent you might be inclined to give your child breaks from the intense studying and preparation. It’s important to remember that this process is a marathon, not a sprint, which means you need to pace yourself but not fully stop. We want to simplify one of the most important college application items by giving you a testing schedule.
When and how to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation for College
As we’ve said, colleges aren’t just admitting your grades and test scores. They really want to know who you are and why you would be a good fit at their school. By your senior year, there isn’t much you can do to change the nature of your application. Unless you are retaking your tests, your grades and scores are basically set. There are only a few aspects of your application that you get to start from scratch at this point: your essays, your supplements, and your recommendation letters. Your teachers work with you everyday and can speak to qualities you possess that aren’t mentioned elsewhere in your application. The quality of your recommendation letter is extremely important, but we’ve found a lot of our students feel awkward when it comes time to ask their teachers. Here’s a guide to help you figure out how and when you ask your teachers for letters.
Who Should I Ask for a Letter of Recommendation for College?
The Recommendation Letters are a hugely important and often overlooked portion the college application. Your grades and scores don’t tell the whole story. Unlike the essays, recommendation letters give someone else the chance to advocate on your behalf. You have the chance to have a teacher you admire tell a school what makes you stand out from other candidates. Of course, who you ask to write your recommendation is extremely important because it will affect how the admissions committee sees you.
Six Things High School Juniors can do to Prepare for the College Process
The end of junior year can be one of the most stressful times of the college process. Everything begins to pile up at once and friends start to get competitive. You have to stay focused, organized, and do everything you can to alleviate your stress. To that end, here’s a list of the six things you should be doing at the end of the Second Semester to maximize your time and be efficient:
How to Become President of Every Club
You’re a leader even if you don’t know it yet. If you want to go to a highly competitive school, you already know how much your extracurriculars matter. But, it is the quality of those extracurriculars and your work within them that matters. Schools want leaders who are going to be excited about impacting their college community, not followers looking for a way to stuff their resume.
Is it Better to Get an A in a Regular Course or a B in an Honors Course?
This is one of the most common questions we get asked at TKG and one of the most pervasive false dichotomies in the college process. The frustrating answer is that if you want to go to a top tier school, you need to have the best grades in the hardest courses. Simply put, you want an A in an Honors or AP course. As acceptance rates plummet and applicants become ever more qualified and impressive, the need to take the most rigorous course available has become more important.
When Should I Start the College Admissions Process?
The college admissions process is like preparing a five-course meal as a first time chef. It is incredibly daunting. If you prepare your ingredients correctly you’ll be fine, but you absolutely can’t wait until the last minute to figure everything out. The college process is multifaceted and everyone approaches it differently. There is no uniform start or end date. The Common App, the universal application that is accepted by over 400 schools, comes out on August 1 but if you wait until then to start thinking about college you’ll undoubtedly be overwhelmed. It would be like waiting until the day before Thanksgiving to start planning. After helping students who have started at every point possible, from sophomore year of high school to one week before the application is due, here are our key takeaways: