For many families, college planning doesn’t become a priority until junior year of high school, or when a student takes their first ACT in the spring of their junior year at school. By then, however, students are facing a long list of decisions and deadlines that create stress for students and parents, resulting in a student making a decision they have not thoroughly researched or missed an opportunity to go to the college of their dreams because they didn’t take the right classes in high school. College planning is a complex multi-year process and waiting until junior or senior year will make the process feel overwhelming and rushed. For college-bound students, starting during freshman or sophomore year can provide valuable time to discover interests, develop skills and make informed decisions.
Freshman Year: Build a Strong Foundation The transition to high school is an important milestone. Freshman year is the time for students to establish strong study habits, understand the importance of their grades, and begin thinking about how their academic choices will affect future opportunities. It is also a time to explore. Students can try different clubs, activities, sports, volunteer opportunities, or other interests. Rather than trying to build an impressive résumé, the goal should be discovering what they genuinely enjoy and where it can make meaningful contributions
Sophomore Year: Start Connecting the Dots By sophomore year, students can begin taking a more intentional approach to their future. This is an ideal time to explore potential careers and college majors, research different types of colleges, and identify academic areas they may want to pursue. Students can also begin learning about the ACT and SAT, even if though they may not be ready to take a test yet. Understanding testing options early allows them plenty of time to prepare and determine whether additional testing or preparation may be beneficial. Sophomore year is also an excellent time to begin discussing college costs and financial aid with parents. Understanding that college planning involves both academic and financial decisions can help families make informed choices later.
Junior Year: Develop a College Strategy Junior year is often when college planning becomes much more focused. Students should begin developing a list of colleges that fit their academic interests, personal preferences and family budget. This is also an important year for standardized testing, continued academic performance and meaningful extracurricular involvement. Students should be researching scholarship opportunities and becoming familiar with college admission requirements. Starting this process early means students can spend junior year making thoughtful decisions rather than trying to catch up.
Senior Year: Put The Plan into Action By senior year, the goal should be to execute the plan and put their preparation to work. Students will be completing applications, essays, requesting recommendations, financial aid forms, and applying for scholarships. Students who have already explored their options and developed a plan can focus on completing these steps rather than trying to figure everything out at once, making the process much more manageable.
What Can College Planning Help a Student Accomplish? College planning is much more than simply creating a list of colleges. A comprehensive approach can help students with:
- Academic advising and course planning
- Career and major exploration
- Extracurricular and leadership development
- ACT and SAT preparation
- College research and campus selection
- Building a balanced college list
- College application preparation
- Essay brainstorming and editing
- Scholarship research
- Financial aid planning
- Understanding college admissions requirements and deadlines
Perhaps the greatest benefit of beginning early is time. Students have time to explore their interests, strengthen areas where they may need improvement, take advantage of opportunities, and change direction when their goals evolve. College planning doesn’t have to be stressful—and it certainly shouldn’t wait until senior year! Early planning spreads the process across several years, allowing students and parents to focus on one step at a time. It also helps students become active participants in their own future, as they can gradually develop an understanding of who they are, what they want, and what they need to do to reach their goals. With time, guidance and a thoughtful plan, students can enter their junior and senior years prepared to make decisions with greater confidence—and families can approach the college process with far less stress.
At Sylvan Learning and Class 101 of O’Fallon we have a complete College Planning Program that provides all the tools you and your child need to make college planning simple and help them be a competitive candidate for all the colleges on their list! If your child is a Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior, call or text us for a FREE College Planning consultation TODAY: (618) 628-0018.
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