HS Junior Tips for the Summer

Over the summer and during your Senior year of High School, there are lots of things you can do to still amp up your college application.  Below we have outlined a few of the best tips from professionals. It's not too late to add to your apps!

1. Start looking at schools you might be interested in, and request information.  Don't worry -- many high school juniors are not sure what they want to major in during college. However, think of your personality when making these selections: if you work better in environments like a big school offers, look at schools with large populations.  If you need a smaller class size and more personalized experience, look at smaller schools. You can usually request information in the mail on the main admissions page of any university or college.  Remember to look at all important dates for applications.  Learn more about Stetson University.

2. Take an SAT/ACT practice test, or get ahead of your classmates and go ahead and take it now! Summer is a little more calm than the schoolyear, and this might make the test less stressful. Also, you'll have more time to study over the summer.  Take a look at the SAT and ACT tips on this blog as well to help you prepare!

3. Start gathering the references you'll want to use on your college applications. You can use high school teachers and guidance counselors, coaches, and leaders of other activities you were involved with, like clubs or religious organizations.

4. Sign up for rigorous classes that will help in college.  Classes like statistics, history, economics, and an advanced science on a higher level are more advantageous than electives and PE sometimes, since they will be required as general education classes in college. Don't overwork yourself, but consider taking some advanced classes to build a good foundation for college courses.

5. Start planning visit to schools you're interested in.  Research has shown that the average student knows in the first 11 minutes of a campus visit if that school is the right fit for them. Keep an open mind and don't fret if it doesn't come to you right away, but make a list of what's most important to you and find a school that has most of that list.  The summer is usually slow, so start to make plans for the fall around school breaks.  Some high schools even allow for seniors to miss school for college visits. Schedule a visit at Stetson University.

6. Plan to get involved with leadership organizations on campus, or run for a position in a club.  This will give you good experience for college, but will also boost your resume and the quality of you application as a whole.

7. Get professional. Create an email that incorporates your first and last name, and use that on all your applications (not imsosexy@hotmail.com). Change your voicemail to a kind, professional message. Also, change your Facebook to "private" and set your profile picture to an appropriate shot.  Make sure your tweets and blogs are private, so only your subscribers can read them. Make sure these taglines and pictures are professional, and get rid of the profanity.

8. Application tips.  When deadlines for applications start to approach, visit our blog with application tips from Stetson Admission Counselors.  These tips will help for all applications, not just Stetson.



Don't let these tips overwhelm you: you do not have to get this all done in one day.  Make a checklist and do a few things each day, and a few weeks into the summer you'll be in good shape to start your senior year ahead of others! Good luck!