Juniors--How to Prepare for Applying to College
By: Casey Robinson on Oct 29, 2020 | Categories: General
Please review the important college preparation tips from Captain Paramore!
Grade 11 College Advising
1. Summer: Look into registering for college dual enrollment classes if qualified. Students should also be volunteering and doing community service.
2.September 10-21: Junior cadets will register and sign up for Oct 27/Dec 8 ACT
3. September 24 - October 5: Junior cadets will register and sign up for Nov 3/Dec 1 SAT
4. October 15-31: Introduction to Resumes. Students will be given a class on how to write a resume. Different formats and what to put on a resume will also be reviewed. Students will then begin working on completing a resume.
5. November 12: Rough Drafts of resumes are due to the adviser. Capt Paramore will then have individual advising with students From November 12 - December 3 to go over resumes and make edits/finalize. Specific student dates will be posted via email, print and in hallways
6. December 4 - January 31: Students will again meet individually with the adviser and review Fall ACT, SAT and PSAT scores. Students will learn how to read and analyze their scores as well as find the areas they need to improve on before the next test. Specific student dates will be posted via email, print and in hallways
7. From September to December: students should continue to stay involved in sports, be exemplary role models for underclassmen, hold leadership roles (if possible) and consider joining clubs. Students should also continue to earn solid grades and look for volunteer work to pad your resume. Over break, visit colleges you are interested in attending. We encourage you to take college visits throughout your junior year so you can get a feel for what life on campus may be like. Students interested in attending a Service Academy should begin looking into the Summer Seminar programs and applying before the deadlines (Capt Paramore will have this information and distribute accordingly).
8. November - May: If students would like to register for an ACT or SAT test, they must notify the adviser in order to register. Capt Paramore will take care of the payment process. The exception to this is if the cadet’s parents sign him up. If this is the case, proper procedures should be followed: Parent notifies Capt Paramore and sends ACT/SAT Ticket. I recommend taking the May or June SAT/ACT as students are proven to score higher on those dates, rather than earlier. This is because students have typically had a full year of Alg 2 and English 3 and the knowledge is fresh on their minds.
9. February 1-28: Juniors will have individual advising sessions with Capt Paramore. Students will fill out a personal inventory questionnaire that gets them thinking about what they are interested in and what they may want when they finish high school. This is to get them thinking about themselves and possible goals they might have. If you are interested in ROTC or Service Academies, start looking into the requirements needed and process involved.
10. March 1-31: Individual advising sessions with Capt Paramore. Students will use the personal inventory worksheet to make a list of fields of study they are interested in and 4-6 colleges and/or career paths they are interested in. They will be required to research the requirements each of those schools/jobs require to get in/hired. For colleges, this includes average SAT/ACT scores, GPA and Tuition.
11. April 9 - May 10: Students are assigned to begin working on a “Common Application” essay. Many colleges and universities use the Common App and by completing an essay, students will be way ahead of the curve come August. Students will also update their resumes. Students will have academic advising sessions to help determine their schedule for their senior year. All session times will be posted for students.
12. May 19 - August 26: Visit and tour the colleges and universities you have on your list! This will make your decision process a little easier come August.