Well, the sooner you start planning for college, the better. Unfortunately, many high school students have a number of curricula and extra-curricula activities that keep their schedules busy, and don’t begin making college plans until senior year. This can lead to rushed and uninformed decisions, confusion, and–worst of all–wrong choices.

In an ideal world, the foundation of college planning should begin freshman or sophomore year. Of course, final decisions are not made at this nascent stage. But this is a great time to start asking questions or doing basic research.  At Academics Plus, we often interact with students who have a rigid idea of what college they want to attend; perhaps they had a father who attended Princeton and so they have their sites on their father’s alma matta.  While having some preliminary ideas of potential schools is fine, we encourage you to keep an open mind. It is important to choose a school that will support your needs and interests, and provide an environment from which you will benefit.  Everyone is different, so it is important to start asking yourself those questions that will help you identify what is important to you. Begin evaluating your personality, interests. and skills, as this evaluation process will help you identify the colleges that are more likely to support and benefit you.  

Freshman and sophomore year is also a good time to get to know your high school guidance counselor and have family discussions about college. It is important to make your college decisions based on ample information, and your high school guidance counselor and family members can be wonderful resources.  Ask tons of questions, and let the question and answer process help guide your research process.

Starting early also allows you to make educated high school class choices. Colleges do look at your grades, but they also take note of how difficult your courses are. They want to know that you’ve challenged yourself, and taking honors or AP courses may help you gain entry into your top choices. Keep in mind though, that it is important to take classes you are capable of handling.  It may be better to take the standard math class and get an A, than it is to take the honors course and get a C. Each decision along the way must be evaluated, measured and well thought out. This again, is where parents and high school counselors can be of assistance.  Use them to weigh out the pros and cons of every potential decision. 

During your freshman year, identify and join the clubs that support your interests.  Seek out leadership roles.  You may want to consider volunteer work or internships over the summer.  When it comes time to apply, colleges will want to know what you’ve been doing, and how successful you’ve been while doing it.

If you are reading this and you are a junior or senior, and haven’t taken any of the steps list, don’t fret.  There are certainly steps you can take in junior and senior years that will maximize your chances to attend your dream school.  Our next entry will discuss these steps, so stay tuned…!

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