Middle School

It is never too early to start laying the foundation for the rigorous college prep coursework which may in turn lead to admission to the college of your choice. In middle school learn all you can in your core academic courses – especially math and language arts. Although middle school grades will not appear on your transcript, the knowledge you gain and the study habits you develop here will stand you in good stead in AP courses in high school.

This is also the time to draft a six-year plan of the courses you want to take to prepare you to get into and be successful in college. Consider taking required high school courses (such as health) in eighth grade or phy.ed. in summer school to free up time to take other courses in high school.

Deborah (Southwest ’10) compiled the following timeline from various sources.

9th Grade

• Improve your time management skill: classes will only get more difficult, and good time management skills will keep you above water.
• Think about careers that may interest you.
• Take the ACT PLAN exam, if offered in your area.
• Take the PSAT. Yes, tenth and even ninth graders may take this for practice.
• If you’re working (during the school year or the summer), start saving for college.
• Keep up the good work: keep your grades up, stick with your extracurriculars if you still enjoy them or find new ones if you don’t, keep adding to your resume, volunteer more, etc.
• In May, take AP exams if possible.
• Again, use your summer wisely: take a class, attend a summer program, or get a job. Deborah attended a three-week program at the College of William and Mary – one of her top two college picks. When it comes time to apply, the fact that she showed sincere interest early on by attending a summer program there is sure to help.

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• 11th Grade

• Take the PSAT: this is the test that qualifies you for the National Merit Scholarship if you do well enough.
• Meet with your counselor: plan for senior year and the college application process.
• Attend college fairs, if you can, or contact colleges you’re interested in.
• Visit colleges you’re interested in over breaks.
• Keep up the good work: maintain grades, stick with extracurriculars, continue resume, volunteer, keep taking challenging classes, etc.
• In May, take AP exams in your strongest courses.
• Take the SAT and/or ACT. (check with the colleges you’re interested in for their preferences.) Many students take the ACT in April and again in June.
• Before school lets out, ask for a few letters of recommendation (maybe two or three).
• Use your summer wisely: take a class, get a job, attend a summer program, visit colleges, write application essays, etc. You’ll have a lot more time now than when your senior year starts.

12th Grade

Freshman Year: This is a time for getting used to a new environment and a perfect time to explore passions and academic interests. Check out at least a couple of extra curriculars and figure out what sort of activities interest you. Another piece of advice is to challenge yourself. Take advanced courses and really push yourself while saving time to enjoy high school. Work hard to excel in your courses. There is a rumor that colleges will ignore a poor freshman year, but why take the chance? Unless a student has extraneous circumstances, a student with a 3.9 throughout all four years looks better than one with a 3.9 during just the last three years.

Freshman Summer: Take advantage of summer opportunities. At a minimum find a job (any sort) and do some community service. It doesn’t have to be anything major, but colleges look for a commitment in community service and jobs as well as academics. If there are any academic summer programs, even if it’s just for a week or two, take advantage of them as well.

Sophomore Year: Continue to challenge yourself in your academics. This is probably the first year that you are allowed to take AP courses: TAKE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE, but only take as many as you can handle. If you aren’t ready for that AP Stats course, get another year of math preparation before taking on the endeavor.

As far as extra curriculars are concerned, continue exploring but try to find something you are truly passionate about. If there is no such club, START ONE! The high schools in Green Bay are extremely open to allowing students to advance their interests, and starting a club will help you mature as a leader, create an activity that you love partaking in, and will look good to colleges. You will want to find a few activities that you will be consistently involved in to show colleges that you are a committed student: the same is true for community service.

Also in your sophomore year, I would stress beginning preparation for the ACT, SAT, and SAT IIs. The perfect way to start is to take the PSAT in the fall. You can take this both your sophomore and junior years, and it is great way to get your feet wet, so to speak. I would also advise taking the ACT and SAT at least once this year. It will show you areas where you can improve and allow you to determine which test you would like to focus on as most selective colleges require only one. Also, if any of your current courses (such as AP U.S. History) coincide with any of the SAT II subject tests, I would advise giving the test a shot. It never hurts to try and you don’t have to send the colleges your scores; you can just send them your best. Study hard for and take the exams for your AP courses. Scoring a 4 or 5 on AP exams is another factor in your favor.

Sophomore Summer: If you were lazy and relaxed during your freshman summer, I would STRONGLY advise getting involved this summer. Community service and a job should be pursued, but relax as well. Taking rigorous courses and activities during the school year is extremely draining, and it is important to enjoy your friends and have some fun, too.

There are many academic programs at universities for sophomores. Many are national programs that will allow you to meet kids from across the country and make friendships that last far beyond sophomore year. They also give you a chance to get used to living on a college campus. The program that I attended was one of the best experiences of my high school years.

In your downtime, or even when you have a spare moment before bed, make sure to do some test prep. Especially if you have narrowed down your weaknesses, this is a great time to make progress.

Junior Year: This is often regarded as the most important year of high school for applications to selective schools as it is the last one that will concretely show up on your application. (Your grades senior year will not show up on your applications, but colleges will require you to submit them upon completion so you cannot slack off.) If you have not done so before, challenge yourself with rigorous courses this year and continue to excel.

Remain consistent with your activities as well and grab all the leadership opportunities that you can. If your newspaper needs students to be editors, STEP UP. Leadership is crucial for selective colleges. The students from all over the country that you will be competing with for spots in selective colleges will be grabbing all the opportunities available to them, and you should do the same. If you have not participated in many activities, do not join as many as possible to try to impress colleges. Admission counselors see this all the time and realize what students are trying to do. Instead I would recommend continuing with activities you have been involved with and join a couple of new ones if they appeal to you. And if you don’t have much community service or work history, try to get some this year. Even if it’s part time, I would advise doing both in some fashion.

Also, try to improve your ACT and SAT scores this year! DO NOT WAIT UNTIL FALL OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR! I waited to take my SAT IIs until fall of my senior year, and my appendix ruptured the week before I had to take them. My scores suffered because of this, and my problem could have easily have been avoided if I taken these tests earlier in my high school career.

Finally, take your AP tests and do well. Colleges want you to excel your junior year and AP scores are a great way to prove that you have.

Junior Summer: Colleges want to see you utilize this summer. If you do not work, do no service, and do not attend any academic programs, THIS WILL HURT YOU. Universities across the country (including highly selective schools) have programs during the summer for you to take courses and live on campus. This will get you used to college life and often these programs help tell schools how committed you are to attending their institution.

Other good ideas for summer: I would also continue doing community service and having a job. Again, consistency is the key. If you are interested in science, try to get involved in some kind of research.  This type of experience allows colleges to see your commitment and interest in a course of study. If your standardized test scores are not what you’d like them to be, keep studying and take them again. Time wise, you will have one more shot once your senior year starts, but do not rely on this.

Senior Year: You know the drill: By now you should be accustomed to what you need to do. In the fall step into leadership roles and continue involvement in activities, community service, jobs, and research projects.

By this time you should have narrowed your list of colleges to which to apply. Many have visitation programs that help cover the cost of airfare and other expenses to visit their campuses. If not, arrange visits on your own. If one college has emerged as your favorite, apply early. Some colleges have early application policies that let students know their admission decision results in mid-December instead of in late March. Applying early does several things: it lets the school know how committed you are and makes your application look more appealing; it lets you know earlier whether or not you have been admitted; and it allows you to find out what financial aid is being offered. (If you are accepted, the college will send you a financial aid estimate.)

Also, keep working hard! Although schools will not see your senior grades on your application, they require you to send them in and they can rescind their offer of admission if your grades fall.