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Important Tasks

Refine Your "Fit Formula"

Continue Formulating a College List

Begin Developing Your Activities List

Create a College Appropriate Email

Register for Standardized Tests

Start Thinking About Letters of Recommendation

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• Refine Your "Fit Formula": Now is the time of year for juniors to start to home in on what college fit might look like for them. This includes considering finances for college, size of a school, academic culture, majors/minors, location, and campus culture (amongst other, more detailed items students can explore as they start generating their college list). It's also important for students to have adaptability and flexibility in what they are looking for in schools. Who a student is now is different from who they were four years ago, and who they will be four years from now. Growth and change during the college process are healthy and normal for students as they search for their vision of College Fit. 

  • Relevant Blogs: ​What Is College Fit? -- Finding Good Fits: Advice from a Peer.

• Begin Formulating a College List: The College List is the list of schools to which a student plans to apply. We anticipate students having a fairly finalized college list by June, when we begin the essay writing process, so there is no need to rush. As a reminder, there are over 4,000 colleges in the USA alone, and most students will apply to somewhere between 8 and 12 of them. Students who work with Virtual College Counselors are expected to build a balanced college list, including likely, target, and reach schools (terms that imply the likelihood of admission). Regardless of which category each school falls into, every school on a student's list should be one they would be excited to attend. Lastly, much like College Fit, it is normal and healthy for the College List to develop and change over time.

  • Relevant Blogs: ​How to Research Colleges to Build a Balanced List​

• Begin Developing Your Activities List:  March is a great time to begin crafting your activities list for the Common Application. Other applications may require a similar list, with different questions or character limits (like the University of California application), but the Common App activities list can serve as a solid foundation to build upon when needed. There are only 10 spaces, and the description of each activity is limited to 150 characters (that's right, barely over half a Tweet). In general, the activities list is simply a detailed resume highlighting how students have engaged outside of the classroom throughout high school. 

  • Relevant Blogs: 3 Questions for The Perfect Common App Activities Section  -- How to Complete The Common App Activities Section

• Create a College-Appropriate Email: If you haven't created a professional-looking email address yet, now is the time to do that. We strongly recommend that students create/use a Gmail address for all things college-related, including applications, scholarships, and correspondence with schools. Many students gravitate toward utilizing their high school email addresses because it is the one they check most often, but those addresses cease to exist the second you graduate, and we want to be sure that colleges are able to reach you when needed. We recommend an address that includes some semblance of your name (specifically last, if not first and last) and some arrangement of meaningful numbers. Often, your contact information can be the first impression you leave on an admissions representative, so soccercutie420@aol.com isn't the most appropriate email to use. And it should go without saying, but please start checking this new email address daily and update any accounts that may be using a less appropriate or school email address.​​

• Register for Standardized Tests:  We are excited to be navigating a continued test-optional college landscape, but we still recommend that juniors take the ACT and/or SAT at least once, in order to keep all admission and scholarship doors open. Many high schools offer an in-school sitting for the SAT, and we recommend all juniors participate when offered. Outside of that school exam, there are several opportunities to take the ACT or SAT before summer break. You can register for the ACT HERE and the SAT HERE. Many students and families have asked whether or not they should take the exam with the essay portion, and our recommendation is to take it without the essay. The SAT essay is only available during the in-school exam, and there aren’t many colleges that require the essay portion of the exam anymore (if you're interested in one of the military academies, however, you'll need to take the ACT with essay if taking the ACT).

  • Relevant Blogs: OpEd: Should I Take the SAT/ACT -- Understanding College Testing Policies​

• Start Thinking About Letters of Recommendation: You won't start requesting letters until the end of Junior year, but since you'll be asking your junior-year teachers for their recommendation, now is a good time to ensure your teachers know who you are. Ask questions and participate in class, hone your study skills to perform well in your courses, and start considering which teachers may know you best. Some colleges specify which subject areas a teacher letter of recommendation can come from, others will allow you to choose. As you're building your college list, start taking note of this requirement so your decision can be easy and more informed at the end of the school year.

  • Relevant Blogs: Who Should I Ask for Letters of Recommendation -- Requesting Letters of Recommendation​