Things to do Before 11th Grade
Notes From the College Counseling Office
In the middle of ninth grade, it is far too early for anyone to lose sleep over the college search. Upper school should be a time of excitement and discovery, when students learn about themselves, the world, and how to build a fulfilling life. Yet as parents well know, college lies just around the corner. The following is a thumbnail sketch of the timeline ahead:
Picking the Right Courses
Students should take appropriately challenging courses—with an emphasis on “appropriately.” Mental health (and grade point average) can suffer when students are overloaded. Under most circumstances, students should take a course every year in English, history, math, science, and foreign language. A common parental mistake is to try to shoehorn their students into an accelerated math track, often against the school’s advice. If C’s are the result, it won’t help. On the other hand, students are cautioned not to take the easy way out, especially in eleventh and twelfth grade. For a peek ahead at what colleges look for in a high school curriculum, consult their websites.
Activities: Quality Over Quantity
Some upper school students have the idea that sitting in the back of a few Junior Civitan meetings or getting inducted into the National Honor Society will make their college applications stand out. Not so. Extracurricular activities and jobs are valuable when they show one of the following: initiative, passion, leadership, or distinction. Unusual talents or activities are more interesting than more ordinary ones, but don’t count on a community service project in Kashmir to be a magic bullet. Compelling qualities can be shown close to home. Our advice to students: Do what you love, and stick with it.
Standardized Tests
Sandia Prep administers the Preliminary SAT to students in October of tenth grade, and again in October of eleventh grade. We also administer the PLAN, a pre-ACT, in the fall of tenth grade. These tests are valuable because they can help predict a student’s SAT and ACT scores and help determine which one test will offer them the best chance of scoring high. (Colleges accept either the SAT or the ACT to fulfill the standardized test requirement.) Students who score in the top three percent of test-takers on the PSAT as eleventh graders may qualify for recognition via the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students generally take the SAT and/or ACT beginning in the spring of eleventh grade.
Looking at Colleges?
In most cases, students in grades nine and ten are not ready to look at colleges, and cajoling them to do so may be counter-productive. The process will come in its own time. Motivated students can, however, get a jump on the process. Every fall, Sandia Prep hosts more than 100 college representatives, and upper schoolers can attend these sessions with teacher permission. The annual Albuquerque college fair, in mid-October, is an excellent way to stick a toe in the water. By the summer after tenth grade, families may wish to plan a few leisurely college visits in conjunction with family vacations. During the fall of grade eleven, the college office will actively encourage students to meet with college representatives, and our first college night for the Class of 2010 will be in January of 2009.
Use Your Summers!
The summer months should be a time to try new things without the pressure of grades or homework. You can travel, work, volunteer, or do a summer program in residence at a college or university. Students can also use their summers to explore possible career paths. A student who is good at math and loves legos might consider shadowing an engineer or architect for a few days; a student with an interest in speech and debate might visit a lawyer. Sandia Prep has a wide network of contacts in the business world who are happy to work with our students.
References:
What to Do When For College, 2007-2008
Fiske Guide to Getting Into the Right College