Congrats on entering your third year of high school! As an 11th grader, you are now one of the older students in your school. If you’ve attended the same high school for the past few years, you’re likely settled into your routine and activities. You probably know a handful of teachers and are comfortable with your friends.
You might also be taking more challenging courses and taking on more responsibility in extracurricular activities or on sports teams. You might have an after school or weekend job now, or be doing more to help at home than you’ve done before.
And while college is still a couple years away, the college admission process is just around the corner. This is a busy and exciting year of high school, and you are ready for it!
As you prepare to meet new challenges in 11th grade, check out these tips to get you ready for college admissions.
Choose Courses that Challenge & Interest You
If you earned As in your standard level courses in 10th grade, challenge yourself with Honors in 11th. If your As were in Honors, why not try Advanced Placement (AP) or dual enrollment in college-level courses? When evaluating applicants’ transcripts, college admission officers look for students who challenge themselves, especially in subjects of interest or strength. While good grades in rigorous courses is ideal, admission officers prefer to see slightly lower grades in more challenging courses than to see students coasting through the standard level with straight As, never challenging themselves with more rigorous material.
If you’re nervous about taking too many Honors, AP, or college-level courses, then challenge yourself in the academic subjects that you care about the most. If you do well in STEM and want to study engineering in college, then take higher level STEM courses and stick with standard-level for humanities and social studies. If you love English and history but struggle with math, then do the opposite.
Make sure your courses keep you on track to fulfill your high school graduation requirements, which specify how many core classes in math, science, English, social studies, and foreign language you need in order to graduate high school. If you’re not sure, ask your high school counselor!
At the same time, take advantage of any electives offered in your special interest areas. For example, if you hope to study Computer Science in college, and your high school offers CS, take one or more courses to gain experience and demonstrate interest. If you love art, take art courses. If you’re set on applying to undergraduate business programs, and your high school offers business electives, take them! Remember that many schools offer advanced courses in electives as well as core subject areas – for example, AP Art and Music – and you will need to take your school’s prerequisite courses first.
Finally, keep an eye on admission requirements for the colleges and universities you’re aiming for. For example, some colleges require or strongly recommend that applicants take four years of the same foreign language in high school, even though others recommend or require only two years. Colleges’ expectations for core courses and credits may also vary by applicants’ intended major. For example, many high schools require only three core science and math courses, while colleges might expect a potential engineering major to have more science and math courses and, in some cases, specific courses, such as Calculus.
Make a Plan for Taking the SAT or ACT
Find out when standardized tests are offered, including when your school offers exam sittings on weekends or during the school day, when they are sometimes free of charge for students. Decide on the best SAT or ACT timing for you. Typically, students are ready for the SAT or ACT after they have completed Algebra 2 with Trigonometry. Students who take Algebra 2 with Trig in 10th grade are ready for the SAT or ACT in the fall of 11th grade. Students who are taking Algebra 2 with Trig in 11th grade should wait until the spring of 11th grade or the summer before 12th grade.
After selecting a test date and registering, familiarize yourself with the exam structure and content, especially if it’s your first time.
Although many colleges and universities continue to offer applicants the option to apply without standardized test scores, some schools are returning to “test required” policies – including both highly selective and less selective colleges. I recommend that all students planning for college take at least one standardized test (SAT or ACT) so that they have a score to submit, should colleges or universities of interest to them require it. Even under “test optional” policies, a strong SAT or ACT score is always an advantage.
If English is your second language, consider taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), especially if you attended part or all of a high school in a school in which English was not the primary language of instruction. Keep in mind that TOEFL scores expire after two years. Taking the TOEFL in 11th grade will ensure that you have a valid TOEFL score when you apply to college.
Develop Good Rapport With Your Teachers
The most effective letter of recommendation writers are teachers of 11th grade courses. Why? When you apply to college in the fall or winter of 12th grade, your 11th grade teachers are the teachers who know you best, most recently, and for the longest period of time. Especially if you are applying Early Decision or Early Action, you’ll have just met your 12th grade teachers when letters of recommendation will be due!
On Day One of 11th grade, make a positive first impression on your teachers, and continue developing your relationship throughout the school year. You can do this by:
Smiling and saying “hi” when you enter and exit the classroom
Showing that you care about their class: asking questions, contributing to discussions, making eye contact and staying engaged during class
Collaborating with classmates during in-class activities, out-of-class projects, and other assignments
Taking a leadership role in group work
Attending extra help sessions or office hours if the teacher offers them
Being polite and supportive of others
The objective of letters of recommendation is to show college admission officers what you’re like in the classroom so they can understand what you’ll be like as a member of their academic community. You’ll want to ask classroom teachers (and not just coaches or advisers of your favorite extracurricular activities) to write letters, so don’t forget to nurture your relationships with your teachers, even in subject areas that aren’t your favorite.
Keep in mind that an excellent letter praising your positive characteristics can balance out a lower grade on your transcript. You don’t need to have an A in the class in order to ask for a rec letter, and sometimes a teacher who gave you a B but can speak to your work ethic and determination can be the more strategic option. Read more about letters of recommendation here.
Demonstrate Leadership in Extracurricular Activities
In the Common Application, which is the application platform that most four-year colleges use for first-year admission, applicants are asked to list not only their extracurricular activities but also their “Position/Leadership” in those activities. Especially for activities in which students have participated for one or more years, admission officers want to see how students’ leadership and impact developed over time (for example, how they grew from a general Member of Student Council to become the Chair of a special event or even an executive officer, such as Treasurer or Vice President).
While big leadership roles might be out of reach for 11th graders, those who participated as 9th or 10th graders are well-positioned to propose new ideas or club events and to understand where small (or large) changes can be made to improve efficiency or impact. Often these smaller or unofficial leadership roles are stepping stones along the way to an officer position in 12th grade. And even if they’re not, such responsibilities are nearly always growth opportunities and learning experiences that can help strengthen character, demonstrate interest in a college major or future career, or contribute to application essay content later.
Enhance Involvement in Interest-Related Activities
While 9th graders are still exploring interests, 11th graders have typically identified one or more primary interests, either academic or extracurricular (or both!). It’s time to develop those interests – to build knowledge, gain and deepen experience, and demonstrate leadership, initiative, and impact. How to do this varies a bit based on 11th graders’ level of interest and prior experience.
11th graders with newer interests should join interest-related activities in their school or community, if they haven’t done so already. For example, 11th graders who think they might want to work in healthcare but do not have any related experience should consider joining a healthcare- or science-related club. This will enable them to learn more about this professional pathway, affirming their interest and perhaps narrowing it even further to sub-specialties or specific healthcare professions. It will also allow them to develop knowledge and experience before college and demonstrate their interest in and seriousness about this intended area of study in a more tangible way.
11th graders who are already involved in interest-related activities should continue expanding their responsibilities and leadership in those activities (see above). They might also seek out additional ways of gaining experience or building on what they know already. For example, a student who is involved in HOSA (Future Health Professionals) at school might arrange to shadow a healthcare professional at a local hospital or clinic, or she might apply for a summer academic or research program in which she can learn more about various healthcare fields or about biomedical research.
Students who have long-standing interests and deep experience by 11th grade should consider an independent initiative or self-directed project (sometimes called a “passion project”) that will allow them to personalize their experience in a more fulfilling, impactful way. Check out College Essay Guy’s informative webinar on self-directed projects here. (Note that this webinar is geared toward summer break planning, but many of these ideas – including those for self-directed projects – can be applied at any time of the year).
Begin College Planning in Earnest
Explore Your Reason for College, including Possible Majors and/or Careers
You don’t need to know exactly what you want to study in college or what you want to be when you grow up in order to be successful in college admissions. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, around 80% of college graduates change their major at least once before graduating. College is a time to learn, explore, and continue developing interests and strengths. After all, college majors include many more options than the five core subjects that most high school students study. (How can you apply as a Sociology major when you haven’t yet learned about sociology?)
It’s ok to be “Undecided” when you apply. What’s not advisable is “having no clue.” In my experience, applicants who have a sense of direction, or feel a larger purpose, when they apply to college are most successful – and least stressed! – during their college admission process. Sometimes this sense of direction is a specific major (e.g. Biology) or a specific professional goal (e.g. Physician). But other times it’s a commitment to a cause (e.g. environmental advocacy) or a strong interest (e.g. writing) or a pull towards particular types of people (e.g. children or the elderly) or certain strengths or preferences (e.g. organizing chaos, or being outside). Having a sense of direction for the next four years, or the next 10-20 years, of your life doesn’t necessarily involve having a specific major or profession in mind.
How can a sense of direction help you prepare for college?
Knowing what you want to get out of college can help you choose a college that’s right for you. Example: If you want to be an accountant and your objective for college is to get job-specific training, a liberal arts college may not be the best option for you. If you have many diverse academic interests and want to explore broadly and freely, then you may be unhappy at a college with rigid general education requirements.
Having a basic sense of what you want to do or study in the future will help you answer application questions, including essays. Why are you applying to our university? What attracts you to your first-choice major? How will you get involved on our campus? These are all questions that are fair game, and commonly asked, in college applications.
Some colleges and universities admit students directly to majors, and some majors are hard to switch into later. Good examples of this are Computer Science and Engineering. If you enjoy coding or building, it’s worth exploring them as postsecondary options sooner, rather than later. It’s not that you can’t decide later in college (or even later in life) to become an engineer. It’s that, depending on where you enroll for college, you might not be able to do it without transferring to a different university.
Changing majors can result in additional courses, year(s) of college, and tuition to complete degree requirements. This is often why it takes some students five or six years to complete a four-year degree.
Transferring colleges in order to study something that isn’t available at your original school can result in additional courses, year(s) of college, and tuition. This is another reason why it takes some students five or six years to complete a four-year degree.
Having a purpose and sense of direction projects confidence, self-awareness, maturity, and readiness for college. Applicants with direction are impressive and memorable, and admission officers want them on their campuses.
As you move through 11th grade, consider why you are going to college – and what you’ll do in college that will help you achieve your personal or professional goals.
Explore Colleges
Attend College Fairs and College Rep Visits at School
Did you know that many college and university admission officers spend the fall months on the road, visiting high schools and recruiting students to apply to their institutions? These visits can take a variety of forms, from sit-down information sessions (for which you might be excused from class), to tabling in the high school cafeteria during lunch, to virtual visits, to college fairs featuring several or many colleges and universities. Such events are excellent ways to begin learning about different kinds of colleges and to practice speaking with and asking questions of admission officers.
Stop by your school counseling office to find out which colleges and universities will be visiting your high school, or when and where college fairs are happening locally. Then, choose a handful of visits or one fair to attend during 11th grade. Take some notes, grab some free college swag, and have fun!
Visit College Campuses
11th grade is not too early for college visits and tours! If you’re not sure where to start, try starting local. Depending on your interests, choose two or three campuses of different sizes, environments, or approaches to education. For example, an 11th grader in northeast Ohio might explore
A large public university, such as Kent State University
A small liberal arts college, such as the College of Wooster
A mid-sized private university, such as Case Western Reserve University
An institution with religious affiliation, such as John Carroll University
Visiting different kinds of campuses will help you understand in which living and learning environment(s) you feel most comfortable and are most likely to thrive. You’ll also get a feel for how admission information sessions and campus tours work, gaining experience and comfort that will help you maximize later college visits to schools where you may be more serious about applying and enrolling.
You can certainly stop by college campuses for casual, self-guided visits, but also consider registering for admission office programming. Consider that you may end up falling in love with a college on one of these early visits, and you’ll want to make sure that the admission office knows you attended an information session and took a tour. (Read more here about why registering for “official” admission programs can be important for colleges that track Demonstrated Interest, or DI.)
Explore College Applications
Most high school students applying to four-year colleges will submit the Common Application (or, “Common App”), which is the application platform used by over 1,000 U.S. colleges and universities for first-year admission. Did you know that you can create a Common App account now? You don’t need to be actively applying to get access to the application! For more information about Common App and what it entails, check out the first-year application guide or the AXS Companion to Common App, which is a free and open resource with instructional videos for completing the application.
Other commonly used applications are the Coalition Application, the University of California application, and applications used by other state university systems, including SUNY, Cal State, and more. For students applying to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), there is also the Common Black College Application, which makes it easy and affordable to apply to many HBCUs at once.
Knowing what to expect from college applications can help you better prepare for them.
Develop a College Planning & Application Timeline
Planning ahead can help you lower stress and anxiety by helping you identify application components and admission processes early, know what you need to get done (and by when), and set smaller goals for meeting those deadlines. There is no one “correct” timeline, and different students will be more productive during different times of the year, depending on when they are most (or least) busy. Create a timeline that will work well for you, based on your own schedule and work habits.
Here is a sample timeline from January of 11th grade through January of 12th grade:
Find more college planning timeline suggestions here.
Keep a Journal or Notebook (Source Material for Essays)
Journaling can be an effective outlet for stress and anxiety. It can also be an effective way to record and reflect on important life experiences and events and a helpful source of essay material for your college applications. In addition to a list of extracurricular activities, your college applications will likely require a personal essay. A personal essay is a narrative essay in which the writer tells a story from personal experience and reflects on why that experience is meaningful or important to them.
In the context of college applications, the personal essay shares more about who you are and what you care about, beyond the courses, grades, test scores, and other information provided in your application. It’s an opportunity to convey characteristics and personal qualities and to give voice and personality to your application.
In the Common App, personal essay prompts include (but are not limited to) the following:
Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
In addition to the personal essay, many applicants will also write one or more supplemental essays for specific colleges and universities. These essays ask questions such as why do you want to study this major, what attracts you to this college, and how will you contribute to our campus and community? Applicants are expected to draw on experiences from high school to explain their goals and intentions for college.
For many students, essays are the most challenging part of the college application. Many students claim to “have nothing to write about” or can’t identify topics that don’t seem “boring” or “cliche.” Truly, there are no right or wrong essay topics. The objective of the personal essay is to convey more about who you are and what your goals are (and why). The objective of the supplemental essays is to demonstrate how you’re a good fit for the schools you’re applying to. All students have stories to tell that will illuminate personality traits, characteristics, and sources of motivation that admission officers won’t find elsewhere in the application.
What’s difficult for applicants who “have nothing to write about” is not a lack of stories to tell; it’s the challenge of recalling the stories that might anchor effective and personal essays. Sometimes it’s hard to remember the specific challenges and setbacks that shape us into who we are, and sometimes we forget the moments of growth or gratitude that underpin our goals and motivations. And sometimes we don’t realize how significant our experiences are until we pause to think about and reflect on them.
A journal or notebook – even if it’s a bullet-pointed list of the week’s “highlights” – can help you process your experiences and jog your memory when it’s time to generate ideas for your application essays.
Maintain Balance
Amid the excitement of 11th grade, don’t forget to take time to relax and refresh. Create a schedule that allows for plenty of sleep. Carve out time for family and friends. Exercise, listen to music, go fishing, take a nature walk, or do whatever else calms you. Remind yourself why applying to college is important to you, and keep your long-term goals in perspective. You will face setbacks along the way (everybody does!), but with perseverance, persistence, and a plan, you can do it.
If you have questions about planning for college, let’s talk! Email me or schedule your free initial consultation here.
Comments