It’s September. Here’s what Juniors should actually be doing…
Junior year starts, and suddenly everyone is talking about college and university and what you think you might be when you grow up. It can feel like a lot all at once. On top of your classes, extracurriculars like sports and theater, and spending time with friends and family, it can be difficult to know what other tasks you might need to complete outside of the classroom to prepare for your future. Here is our list of what we recommend for juniors in this season:
Junior Year: The First Semester
Meet with your school counselor. I know this one sounds a little intimidating, but it’s the first on the list for a reason. Your school counselor is there to support you as you navigate your next steps after high school, and getting to know them can prove to be very helpful over the next two years. They also often know about local scholarships, how to get involved in the community, internships you can apply for over the summer, and when/how to meet with universities in your area. Bring your questions about the ACT/SAT, colleges and universities, and any other questions or concerns you have about what’s next for you after high school.
Register for one of each: the SAT and ACT (optional: CLT). Junior year is when you should start taking these tests in a more intentional way. Each of these sittings should teach you something.
If you haven’t taken them at all yet, here’s my recommendation:
Take each test once.
Determine which is best for you.
If you want to only take one of them, read this article to figure out which test is best for you.
If you’ve taken one of each, then you should only focus on one test moving forward. If you have time, do the following:
Sign up for your preferred test based on which is better for you. You can use our SAT <-> ACT score converter to compare two scores on the same scale.
Study during the month leading up to the test by focusing on the areas you need to improve based on your previous test. You should aim to study 4-5 days/week for about 30 minutes/day. (If you need help figuring out how to develop a study plan, feel free to reach out to us or use this Study Plan Builder).
Note: The CLT stands for the Classical Learning Test. It’s a newer test used mostly by classical, Christian universities, but it is also accepted for Bright Futures in the state of Florida and, therefore, by all Florida state public universities. This test might be a better fit depending on your college list.
Prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT. The NMSQT stands for the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. This is the year your PSAT counts, meaning Junior year is when students qualify for National Merit recognition (and real scholarship money). Your school will likely offer it in October. If your practice score is anywhere close to the qualifying range for your state, it's absolutely worth preparing for. However, this test does not count outside of qualifying scholarship, meaning you will not send this score to universities during the application season your Senior year. It is just for the NMSQT.
Start building your resume if you haven’t yet. Here is a template you can use to build your resume. This resume is where you put your advanced coursework, extracurricular activities, leadership, work, and volunteer service.
What not to do in September
You might have been told that Junior year is the most difficult year in high school. And though that isn’t completely wrong, there are ways to prepare for other aspects of the year, including preparing for college and testing, that can reduce your stress.
Don’t panic-buy 5 different test prep books. Sometimes, it can feel like the fastest way to get through the SAT or ACT is buying a bunch of test prep books. But really, the best way to navigate this is by taking a diagnostic, building your foundations before the October test, and then using Khan Academy (SAT) or the red Official ACT Prep Guide (ACT) to study. If you need support as you are studying, we’re here to help!
Don’t cram for the ACT or SAT the night before. Study a little bit each day. As I mentioned earlier, we recommend studying 4-5 days/week for 30 minutes/day. This is because of how the test is structured. Although each test has different questions, the way their structure never changes. Therefore, the pattern can be learned and practiced. Also, you will need to cover a range of content and build confidence, so building it steadily will help the information stay in long-term memory instead of working memory. In other words, you will be more likely to remember the content you need over the course of the year of testing instead of just before the test you take this October.
Where to start
If this feels overwhelming, I hope it at least helped you find your best next step.
If you have any questions or want help figuring out your next step, we’d love to chat. Our initial consultations are free!
