As high school seniors finalize their college plans, it stirs up interest with college bound juniors. Typically high school juniors are completing their final semester before they submit their college applications in October and November of the senior year. Believe it or not, 16 year old students are eager to learn from their senior friends’ mistakes. They ask poignant questions in trying to understand how a student with a high grade point average, even higher test scores and an impressive profile wasn’t accepted at that first choice college.
It’s important to remember that college application is a process. Even students with incredible talents, who are being recruited by colleges, are often disappointed by schools like UCLA, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, CalPoly San Luis Obispo, USC and many others. Sometimes juniors become discouraged when they listen to the litany of colleges where a classmate wasn’t accepted. But students who are competitive applicants at the UC or USC are often accepted at others schools. A highly qualified student, who meets eligibility and applies by the deadline, can be assured of admission somewhere in California.
So what can a student who is finishing junior year do to bolster her college application? She can start by taking a look at her top choice college application from this past season. Since nearly all applications are now submitted electronically, visit the college admission website and look for the option to print an application. Then, sit down and actually complete the application to confirm that the applicant is strong in all the areas listed. Note which section on the application is weaker and focus on how to improve this section. For example, the University of California has five sections for students to share information about themselves. There’s a section for academics, awards and honors; on activities in and outside of school; on volunteer work and on employment. If students discover that they are loaded with activities, but only have one or two volunteer items to list, it’s time to get busy volunteering during summer.
Summer is a great time for students to gain life experiences that will increase the quality of their college application on many levels. It’s a perfect time to dabble in areas that stretch their comfort zones and give them an awareness of a world unlike their own. It’s an excellent time to take on a part time job or to take on a leadership role in a summer activity. And it’s important that whatever sections of the application the student is hoping to bolster, that the participation be meaningful.
If a junior hasn’t taken rigorous courses, she can improve her academic standing by enrolling in transferable summer classes at a community college. Students are allowed to put community college coursework on their college applications and those courses will be looked at the same as AP classes by the university. Many universities also offer summer programs for high school students and several corporations offer competitive internships. Community colleges are highly impacted, so gaining admission to a community college class might difficult. Follow the steps on the college admissions website for "Academic Enrichment" students, and complete all required items.
As for awards, while students can’t just "go out and get" awards, they can be submitting applications for awards. There are dozens of contests, essay competitions, and other opportunities for students to compete. Even contests that will happen during the school year might have information on their topics or formats on national websites. For example, the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Voice of Democracy contest will accept applications in October, but the prompt for the essay is available now. A great place to get started is the College Board’s Fastweb, (
