How much should freshman and sophomores think about college?

Could there be a simple and easy to remember message about what freshman and sophomore high school students should be doing to prepare for college applications? Yes. A friend with a daughter going into sophomore year asked how much she should be thinking about college applications. Here is my answer:

Be intentional. “Do” more than “Think”. Demonstrate depth.

Here is what I mean. Be intentional about planning high school courses. Spend time each spring at registration time to meet with the counselor to talk about next year’s classes. Do next year’s classes continue to meet graduation requirements in a timely manner? This is where it is necessary to see high school courses as a whole, meaning everything the student wants to take will fit into 4 years? If a student wants to take 4 years of a foreign language (most universities like to see this), will the 3-4 years of art they want to take also fit in without crowding out those one-off requirements like Health or Speech? This is where a meeting with the school counselor offers clarity. They know what to look for to make sure everything is fitting in while offering space for students to pursue personal interests and strengths. Think about the story that the transcript will tell about you, the student. Does it show that you have challenged yourself? Finally, have you taken the opportunity to explore potential interests? Try the Intro the Engineering class or journalism. It’s okay to try a class for a year or semester and not continue down that path as long as most of the other classes taken illustrate a more aligned route. 

“Do” more than “Think”. Freshman and Sophomore students should think about college applications but really not very much. That goes for you too, parents. Students, here’s what you should be thinking: “This babysitting job is hard work. Are the parents ever going to get home? I sure am learning a lot about being dependable, showing up on time, communicating with my employers and problem solving independently like when this 3 year old didn’t want to go to bed on time. This is exactly what colleges want to see!” Then go right back to doing the part time job, the volunteering, the youth council at church or co-chairing the canned food drive at school. 

Parents: “While we’re on our way to visit Grandma this summer in Chicago, we should go on a college tour. The kids may not even choose to apply there, but seeing a college campus and eating lunch there would give them a great frame of reference when they do start applying. Those students who lead the tours are always great role models anyway. I sure am doing a great job of preparing my children for college applications!”  Have a great trip to Grandma’s! “Do” more than “Think”.

Demonstrate depth. This goes for classes as well as extracurricular activities. Again, it is okay to have a few one time forays into new activities or sports that you do not continue with as long as other activities show a progression of participation. Leadership is another solid way to show depth. When you get into your 3rd consecutive year of a sport or club, look for leadership opportunities. Could you be the Spanish Club President? Or approach the coach of your team to ask about being team captain? Take your involvement one step further to show depth in an activity. Perhaps your high school requires service hours to graduate. Don’t stop once you have met the requirement, keep volunteering. You will get to report all of these experiences in your college application and show for how long you were involved.

Early high school students and parents, save your thinking and ruminating for later. 

Be intentional. “Do” more than “Think”. Demonstrate Depth.