Juniors: Getting Serious
The junior year is a time for students to seriously begin considering their post-secondary options. The more research you complete, the more likely it is that you will be happy with your individual choice. This may be your toughest year academically, and it is the last year that colleges really see on your transcript when you apply, so commit yourself to your academics and carefully select your courses.
As a junior, you will take the PSAT again, but the one you take this year is the National Merit Qualifying Test and is a good practice run for the real SAT which you will probably be taking some time during spring semester. If you are unhappy with your scores, there are several SAT prep books available in the College Guidance Office and a few SAT courses are offered on Maui to help you improve your scores.
Starting in the spring, juniors are encouraged to sign up for the SAT, the ACT, and SAT Subject tests. SAT Subject tests are subject-specific tests in areas like History, Biology, and Chemistry. They are given at the same time as the SAT tests, and you are encouraged to take the test as soon as you finish the class that most relates (ie. Take the American History SAT Subject test in May when you finish the US History class here at Seabury). Drop by the College Guidance Office at any time if you have questions about the SAT, ACT, or SAT Subject tests. Different colleges require different tests, so make sure you take whatever tests the schools that you want to apply to require. More information can be found at www.collegeboard.org and www.act.org.
There will be college visitation options for Winterim next year. This is an excellent time to get a feel for the colleges you like and can make a huge difference in your decision making process. Most students say that they can tell within five minutes of walking onto a campus whether they could spend four years of their life there, something that can be very difficult to judge from looking at brochures and web sites. By visiting a campus, you can get a feel for the students, campus, and faculty, which can be the deciding factor between two schools that you like.
All juniors and their parents will have a family appointment with Ms. Ulin in the Spring. At these conferences, we’ll discuss possible colleges, places to find out more about specific schools, tests that you’ll have to take, and anything else that concerns students or parents.
By the end of your junior year, you will hopefully have a list of three to seven schools that you really like and want to apply to.
What can a junior do?
- Stay on top of your academics! This is an important year with colleges and a good chance to make up for any past mistakes!
- Take the PSAT!
- Take the SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject tests!
- Attend college rep meetings!
- Visit colleges during Winterim!
