Every year around winter break, parents of juniors call me in a panic.
Their kid has to submit an application by January 10th.
They’ve just realized how much importance is placed on the summer before senior year, and they’re scrambling to apply to a program with limited spots.
I want to help them get those applications done beautifully, of course.
At the same time I have to ask them to take a step back.
Because so often, they’ve skipped a crucial step.
There are three things that need to be done by the end of January, and they need to be done in the following order:
#1: Build Your College List
I do this with my students in the fall of junior year. It informs their entire strategy. Most people gloss over this step, choosing a handful of schools from the US News & World Reports rankings, or defaulting to where other people they know have applied.
That’s a recipe for disappointment. Whereas, building your list thoughtfully and intentionally is the most important thing you can do to set yourself up for success. So if you haven’t done it yet, do it ASAP.
#2: Plan Your Summer
Once you have the first draft of your college list, you’ll understand the values that matter to you in a school and be able to choose activities that express and develop those same values. Hot tip: It’s this alignment of values that makes a student stand out to admissions officers.
While not every student will choose to attend a program with a January apply-by date, I always insist my students think about what they want to do over winter break so they’re prepared for whatever deadlines are ahead. You certainly don’t want to lift your head up in May and be looking for options at the last minute.
#3: Figure Out Your Testing Strategy
By January’s end, you should know which test(s) would best showcase your abilities and what score you’d really need to be eligible for your top choice schools. (There’s no reason to push to get beyond those scores — being the highest scorer isn’t the unique advantage people think.)
So many parents will tell me in April, “My kid has been studying for the SAT all year” — only to find out their dream schools are test-blind and won’t even look at their results. This is of course yet another reason why you need to build your list FIRST and study the requirements closely.
***
Now I totally understand why parents are missing these steps and learning crucial information way late in the game.
We are all bombarded with information — a lot of it misinformation.
We’re hearing, “You need to do this,” “Everybody’s doing that,” “So-and-so’s niece did this and got into Harvard.”
What doesn’t come through in this cacophony?
A birds-eye view of everything you need to do, when it needs to be done, and how to discern the priorities for YOUR KID.
Every kid is different.
My goal is to provide guidance that focuses your kid’s energy on only what will improve their unique competitive advantage.
For more of my insights on how to guide your kid through junior year so they’re college-ready by next fall:
Watch this free masterclass ->
This short class expands on the points in this blog post and offers a lot more on how to assess your child’s college priorities.
You’ll also get my Summer Planning mini-course teaching you how make a high-value plan on any budget and the #1 summer achievement that impresses colleges most.
