The college application process doesn’t start when you’re a senior in high school, it starts years earlier— before you even enter high school. The most successful students start thinking about their target universities and intended majors before high school, so the four years they spend in high school are filled with direction and intent. Getting into college, especially the best universities, starts with years of preparation and planning.
The admissions process for top colleges is complex. College admissions officers look at a wide range of factors, including college essays, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, and more. Prospective college students need to start thinking early about who are writing their letters of recommendations, what extracurriculars they're getting involved in, and their personal statements.
We will be releasing a series of articles on how to boost your college application to get into the best universities, breaking it down into a plan for each year of high school. Your college application begins before you even enter high school.
Summer Pre-9th grade: Start thinking about what you want to be when you grow up. What kind of professions stand out to you? What kind of subjects do you like? Get involved with some extracurriculars in those areas. You can join summer camps that expose you to the topics that interest you, such as a robotics camp, math olympiad, etc. You can also join an athletic camp! It’s important to find your interests before entering high school, so you can devote your next four years to specific interests. Generally, students choose their 9th grade course schedule in spring semester of their 8th grade. If you’re aiming to apply to a top university, choosing advanced classes can impress college admissions counselors. With that said, it’s better to get a good grade in a Regular course than a low grade in an Honors or AP course. Prepare Early While it is true that universities generally don’t look closely at your 9th grade performance, it does still play a role.
9th grade: A common preconception is that 9th grade doesn’t really matter when it comes to college applications, and that colleges only look at your grades in sophomore year and junior year of high school. While it is true that universities don’t generally look too closely at your 9th grade performance, it does still play a role.
Academically, your 9th grade GPA gets factored into your cumulative GPA as well as your class rank, two factors that colleges take into account when looking at your application. Having a high or low GPA in 9th grade can also set the tone for your next three years. If you have a low GPA in freshman year, you will need to work extra hard in the following years to raise your cumulative GPA. On the other hand, starting with a high GPA your freshman year eliminates the stress of needing to perform at an exceptionally high level for the remaining years to compensate.
Socially, your freshman year you is an important time to involve yourself around campus and in the community. Acquaint yourself with your guidance counselor early on, which will make a good impression, and to beat the senior year traffic! Show your guidance counselor that you’re proactive, focused, and invested in your future.
Involve yourself with clubs on campus. Most high schools have club fairs in the beginning of the school year. Find ones that interest you, instead of trying to join as many as possible. Ideally, these clubs should be relevant to your intended college major or desired profession. Make sure you invest yourself in these clubs! Get to know the other members, make contributions, and volunteer to take on responsibilities. This will pave your way to eventually take on club leadership positions.
If you’re juggling your academics and extracurriculars well, you can get involved in the community outside your high school to further boost your college application. Making contributions to your local community through volunteering can round out your application. Volunteer at places relevant to your intended major or desired profession. Forming stronger relationships with leaders in those places can open up opportunities for you to take on leadership positions later on.
Of course, finding admissions counselors trained in college admission counseling can also make applying to college a smooth process. About The Author:
Elissa Liu, MBA is the Director at Ivy League School. Having graduated from USC with an MBA and UCSB with a major in Psychology and minors in Educational Studies and Applied Psychology, she is an experienced educator trained in K-12 Education, College Consulting, and Educational Administration.
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