Preparing For College: Things to Add to Your Timeline

High school gives you four years to enroll in various classes and learn new skills, understand your talents and proclivities, make up your mind about college and get prepared for upcoming admission exams. 

Unfortunately, four years isn’t a particularly long period when it comes to planning your future. If you want those acceptance letters to keep coming, you need to put together a game plan as soon as possible. Starting the college search and application process gives you plenty of time to regroup, strategize and make the most of each opportunity, and that’s precisely when MORZEP comes into place.

It’s never too early to start your college preparation timeline. Whether you’re interested in public universities or private schools, you should put enough effort and think about exploring and pinpointing college options.

Each year of high school provides opportunities to learn more, sharpen your skills, do research, and undertake the steps required to ensure successful college admissions.

If you don’t know how to prepare or how soon to get started, MORZEP is here to guide you, but the following timeline is going to help too.

Start as Soon as Possible

Once again, we must stress the importance of starting early enough. Anyone who is serious about getting into a competitive college should begin the process as soon as during the transition from the 8th grade to the 9th grade.

College admissions are becoming increasingly competitive, which means that only the best performers are going to make it through.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of applications has been increasing steadily ever since 2014. In 2022, however, a notable acceleration occurred. The number of submitted applications increased by 21.3 percent for the period between 2019 and 2022.

In order to ace the application process, you have to be prepared and aware of what’s at stake. Planning your academic and extracurricular life is crucial to putting together a stellar application, including impressive school transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a thorough college application essay takes time. You will also need, financial aid offers, money for college, college planning advice, and more.

That’s why you need to come up with a college prep timeline that will give you enough opportunities to build your resume and achieve the best results during college admission tests. Now it’s the moment when MORZEP’s expertise will prove invaluable. Things start to get serious as soon as you begin 9th grade!

Freshman Year College Admission Prep

As a high school freshman, you can do a couple of things to get ready for upcoming college admissions during the 9th grade:

• Focus mainly on academics and getting good grades by building good study habits. There’s still enough time to plan and get into the actual specifics of college applications.
• Use the opportunity to discover new talents and acquire skills through extracurricular activities. Sports, art clubs, theater, volunteering, contests, and service leagues give you a chance to turn yourself into a well-rounded college applicant. You can try a wide range of activities to identify the ones you fancy the most.
• Dedicate some time to reading about colleges and learning about their strengths. If you already have a particular major that you’re interested in, you can narrow down the research even further.

Sophomore Year Prep

As a student in the 10th grade, you can begin focusing more on the processes that will lead to successful college admission.

• Acquaint yourself with SAT and ACT: We NEVER recommend taking the standardized tests without adequate preparation. Taking the tests just to “see what’s on them” is in fact the worst strategy. To get ready for the standardized tests, DO NOT take an official test; there are plenty of free practices to get acquainted with them to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.
• Choose the right courses: This is the first year when you’ll have some say in what you’re going to study. Use the opportunity to narrow down your academic skills and prepare for those upcoming college years. If you have an idea about the majors you’re interested in, you can make adequate course choices for the future.
• Start your college resume: A good college resume includes information on extracurricular activities, volunteering work, internships, paid work you’ve done in the past, awards, academic accomplishments, and college prep programs. It’s a good idea to start working on the resume during your sophomore year, adding more information as time goes by.
• Meet your high school counselor: Together, you and your guidance counselor can discuss colleges, admissions, the college application process, and anything else of interest.
• Get a part-time job, a summer job, or an internship: The summer of your sophomore year is perfect to get some actual career-related experience in order to narrow down your eventual college choices.

Junior Year Prep:

Things are getting hectic at this point in time. You’ve made it to the 11th grade! Here’s what needs to happen during your junior year:

• Continue studying for/take PSAT: Continue studying for SAT and ACT while also taking the Preliminary SAT (PSAT). This gives you an opportunity to prepare for actual testing later. PSAT also allows you to qualify for the National Hispanic Recognition Program and National Merit Scholarship if you do well enough.
• Make the most of your relationship with a MORZEP college coach: A college coach, like the knowledgeable members of the Morzep team, can help you understand your options and the steps you’ll need to undertake in order to be accepted into the college of your dreams. You will get actionable recommendations and actual steps to follow during your junior and senior years.
• Continue getting good grades and being involved in extracurricular activities
• Start working on letters of recommendation: While some high school students underestimate the importance of recommendation letters, they can play a vital role in helping you craft an outstanding application. The sooner you start asking for recommendations, the more options you’ll have when the time comes. Request letters of recommendation from multiple teachers and mentors who know you and your talents.
• Narrow down the list of colleges you’ll be applying to: The time is also right to visit college campuses and attend college fairs. Virtual tours are a great alternative. Going on virtual tours can be very beneficial, especially for campuses that are located a long distance away.
• Take the SAT and ACT: Taking the standardized tests during your junior year is always a good idea. This way, you’ll have one more opportunity if you are not satisfied with your scores.
• Join a summer college program: This type of program will help you understand the biggest differences between high school and college. This way, you’ll know what to expect in the future.

Senior Year Prep 

AVOID SENIORITIS! You’re almost there, you’re in the 12th grade. In order to join the college of your dreams, you’ll need to do a number of important things during your last high school year:

• Maintain a high GPA, be a valuable member of sports teams, and continue extracurricular involvement or community service.
• Retake SAT and ACT: If you’re not happy with the results from last year’s exams, use this final opportunity to perform better.
• Complete your applications: By this point, you should know which colleges you’re going to apply to. Most of your senior year will be dedicated to college applications. Take enough time to personalize each one and deliver exactly what admissions professionals seek. Drafting an exceptional college essay is also a part of the process. The sooner you apply, the better. Have a list of application deadlines and set reminders to meet them.
• Explore financial aid opportunities: Take your time to learn more about scholarships, grants, and student loans (let’s face it: college savings will probably get you nowhere). Once you pinpoint the right choices, work on those financial aid forms. Scholarship applications follow the same rules as college applications. The sooner you send out those scholarship applications, the more opportunities you’ll get to seek plan B if needed.
• Schedule interviews: Some colleges that get back to you will want to schedule an interview before admissions are finalized. Use this opportunity to shine and provide some additional information on your interests and accomplishments.
• Don’t give up: Admission decisions can be appealed and discussed further. Don’t give up if you get rejected. A coach or a school counselor can give you some more guidance on how to handle such situations.

One Final Thing to Remember

At MORZEP, we work with you and your family UNTIL YOU ARE SITTING DOWN in your first college class. Remember that your high school efforts count every step of the way. The fact that you’ve been admitted to a great college doesn’t mean you should relax and stop doing your best. Keep studying, learn new things, and get excellent grades. A proactive approach until the final days of school will definitely pay off when you make the massive transition to college.