Make the Most of Your Junior Year

Despite all of the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the senior year, it’s actually the junior year of high school that is the defining moment in most students’ academic lives. Generally, you’ll be sending off college applications well before you’ve completed your senior year, so it’s essential that you do as much as possible in your junior year to make yourself an attractive candidate to colleges. The following are some of the most important things that you can do in your junior year to start preparing for college.

 

Research Colleges
Because of the amount of time and money involved in submitting college applications in your senior year, you’ll want to have your list of colleges more or less set by the start of your final year of high school. Consult a reference like the US News and World Report college issue to get detailed information about schools. Some questions that you’ll want to consider when looking through info on colleges include: Do you want to attend a public state school or a private university? How far away from home would you like to live? How selective of a school would you be able to get into? In order to answer these questions, you’ll need to think seriously about how much money you or your parents can afford to spend on tuition (or how many student loans you’re willing to take out) and you’ll need to evaluate your own academic performance in terms of your GPA and test scores.

Prepare For and Take the SAT
SAT scores are one of the most important elements of a college application and are one of the most common “minimum” criteria that schools use to indicate what they require from applicants before further considering their applications. Thus, it is very much in your interest to prepare for the test as thoroughly as possible. There are a variety of SAT prep courses and methods available, including free online SAT prep. In addition to finding a test prep program, you’ll also want to check online for test dates and registration deadlines to make certain that you stay on track with your schedule. While you should make certain that you leave appropriate time for prep, you should try to take the test during your junior year. The sooner you know your score, the sooner you’ll be able to make informed decisions about which schools to apply to.

Build Up Your Extra-Curriculars
College admissions committees have to look through hundreds or even thousands of applications every year and, while your GPA and test scores are important, having a diverse swath of extra-curricular activities can help set you apart from the crowd. Choosing to join a club or play a sport in your junior year insures that you’ll have an extended affiliation with a group on your application. Generally, this looks much better to an admissions committee than a few activities that appear to have been “tacked on” at the last minute in your senior year.

By setting a few simple goals in your junior year, you can insure that you’re doing everything possible to set yourself up for a successful senior year and a great college career!

 

Junior Year SAT Prep Plan

Junior year is often the most busy and challenging year of high school. Many juniors have the most rigorous class schedule that they have had so far in their academic career. They are also balancing leadership positions in extracurricular activities, choices about colleges, and responsibilities both inside and outside of the classroom.

This is also the best year for students to get serious about SAT preparation. Juniors should plan out their schedule well in advance to allow plenty of time to study for the SAT and plan to take the test multiple times during the year.

Juniors have the luxury of plenty of time for preparation. They can take the test as many times as possible without worrying about deadlines for college applications. Juniors can space out the tests throughout the year so that they are able to study and focus on trouble areas in between taking the test. Many students will enjoy having the extra time to study and knowing that they are well prepared and even ahead of schedule on their SAT preparation.

Many high school seniors will have college applications due in November of their senior year. With many students opting to apply early decision to a college, applications are often due sooner than ever before. For these students, it is important to have their final SAT scores done by early in the fall.

Juniors can take an online SAT course that will allow them to study on their own schedule and work at a pace that feels right for them. With each SAT practice test, students will feel more comfortable with the format of the SAT and the material that they will need to know for the test.

Having SAT scores before senior year gives students a lot of relief and flexibility. They can focus entirely on preparing their college applications and choosing the right school without lingering questions about their SAT scores. Having SAT scores in hand will also ensure that students are applying to the right schools and choosing safety schools that are best suited to their performance on the SAT.

Junior year is a time to work hard and build strong time management and study skills. Solid efforts junior year will allow students to breathe a sigh of relief and enter senior year feeling prepared to complete the college application process.

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Your High School Junior Year SAT Test Prep Plan

Junior year can be a challenging year for high school students. Many students will be taking challenging courses, making plans to visit colleges and make decisions about the future, and keeping a strong GPA for their college applications. Junior year is also the time to focus on SAT prep.

Juniors should begin preparing for the SAT as soon as possible so that the process doesn’t have to be rushed. For most students, SAT test prep will involve an online course or traditional class, plenty of practice tests, and time spent studying material for the test.

High school students can choose to take the SAT as many times as they want. For this reason, students may want to take the SAT for the first time in the fall of junior year so that they have plenty of time to take the test again in the winter or spring. It can be smart to use the summer before junior year for SAT test prep and focusing on what you will need to study while preparing for the SAT.

While you can continue to take the SAT during senior year, most students will prefer to complete the test during junior year. This will allow seniors in high school to turn their attention to college applications and making decisions about where they will be going to college. Students will also want to have their final scores before they begin sending out their college applications.

Once you receive your first SAT scores, you will need to decide whether you will want to take the test again to improve your scores. Colleges will accept the highest reading score, highest verbal score, and highest math score and combine them to find your final total SAT score. Due to this scoring system, there is no disadvantage to taking the SAT multiple times to improve your score.

Additional SAT prep after taking the test once can help you to focus on trouble areas that revealed themselves during the test and to increase study time on the subjects that need the most improvement. Developing a realistic plan to prepare for the SAT will help you to approach junior year with confidence. Carrying out your plan will help you to enter senior year with your best possible SAT scores.


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