College Prep Series: High School Sophomores

With your freshman year now in the rear view mirror, you should be fairly settled into the high school routine.  When you look back and evaluate, how did you do that first year?  Did you get the grades you were hoping for? Were you involved in multiple extracurricular activities? Do you have your college and major already picked out?  If you answered yes to most of these questions, then GREAT, keep up the good work! If not, that’s okay, don’t panic just yet, you still have time to improve. That’s what’s nice about your sophomore year, you’re starting to find your way and get things figured out, yet you still have plenty of time to shine. As a freshman, you may have been testing the waters, trying to decide what your interests are and what classes you’d like to take.  Now that you may have an idea, as a sophomore, it’s time to put that towards your college preparation. Here are the top 5 things sophomores can do to prepare for college in their second year of high school:

1. Be Selective In Your Coursework

As you progress in your high school career, meeting graduation requirements, you usually attain more elective opportunities along the way. If you aren't yet eligible to take AP or Honors courses, try and take the prerequisites that will lead to the opportunity in your Junior and Senior years. You may even want to inquire about the prerequisites for dual enrollment courses offered between your high school and local colleges. Your counselor will continue to be a great resource for this information and should be utilized. Learning about this now will not only get you in the right college prep classes, but also give you more elective choices down the road. Additional Tip: If you have not done so already, start and/or continue to take a foreign language. Most colleges have foreign language requirements and will be more impressed with advanced knowledge and reading ability, rather than simple beginning conversation attained, used to meet a high school graduation requirement. Even if you don’t obtain AP credit, you will also likely be afforded the opportunity to “test out” and earn college credit based on your performance during your entrance exams.

2. Evaluate Your Extracurricular Activities

If you joined any clubs, played any sports or volunteered during your freshmen year, now is the time to evaluate your experiences. Did you enjoy participating? Where you involved enough? Are you ready to take on a bigger role? If you cannot answer yes to these questions, then you need to find something you can say yes to. As we mentioned in our freshmen post, it isn’t about joining everything out there; but rather, it’s about dedicating time, becoming passionate and learning to lead. Your sophomore year is really important in this area because you want to show colleges that you made a difference by joining your chosen activity. Most of the time, it will take at least a couple of years to display this type of depth and dedication.

3. Take the PSAT and PLAN Tests

Many schools allow sophomores to take the PSAT (pre-SAT) and PLAN (pre-ACT) tests. If you can, we suggest taking the exams in the fall, so that you can get the feel for the testing environment and determine a baseline of how you might do on the actual exam(s). Since this will not count against you, nor appear in your college application, there should be no harm in trying. From here, you can learn where your strengths and weakness lie and develop an improvement strategy going forward. It also prepares you for the PSAT taken in your junior year, when the scores count toward National Merit consideration. In addition, you may also want to look into taking the SAT Subject Tests. Some colleges may require these tests, and it is best to take them soon after you have taken the related course in high school while the material is still fresh in your mind.

4. Research College and Career Options

You may already be thinking about what colleges and universities you are interested in, but then again, maybe you have not. Your sophomore year is a great time for researching schools because you can work with your counselor on determining requirements and make sure that your coursework is on the right track. You can also spend this preliminary time learning about majors and career opportunities, to determine which schools best fit into your field of interest. Keep an eye out for informational sessions, college and/or career fairs that you might be eligible to attend. By the time the year is over, you can use your summer to travel and visit some of your top prospects. Then, going into your final two years of high school, you may have a narrowed list and can spend your time applying.

5. Learn About Financial Aid Opportunities

Since college tuition only seems to increase each year, you will want to start looking for scholarship, grants and other financial aid opportunities as early as possible. We touched up this in our freshmen post, but early financial planning is essential. If you have a list of schools already in mind, make sure you look at their tuition rates and financial aid offerings. Find out if there are programs that you may qualify for. Many times there are major and/or career specific scholarships. If you are not sure what you want to do or where you want to go to school, just remember that good grades and high test scores will always help! Although the intial thrill of going to high school may have worn off, don't let yourself think that your sophomore year is just an unimportant middle of the road time. Although nothing usually has to be set in stone just yet, it is important to get your plan together and stay focused. If you listen to these recommendations and follow this path, then during your Junior and Senior years, you shouldn't feel so stressed and you can allow yourself to fine tune and focus on execution.