{"id":504,"date":"2019-07-26T10:05:41","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T15:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/?p=504"},"modified":"2021-10-20T08:57:38","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T13:57:38","slug":"some-things-you-should-do-the-fall-of-your-junior-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/some-things-you-should-do-the-fall-of-your-junior-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Some things you should do the fall of your junior year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Some<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This blog post is part of a series that will help you as you apply to colleges. Today, I\u2019m sharing a list of some of the things you should do during the fall of junior year to be ready to submit applications to colleges.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you late to the party and want to know what\u2019s going on? Start here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post is relevant\nto you if it is the summer before your junior year or if you are currently in\nyour junior year of high school. <\/strong>\n\n\n\nFollow along, add some details to your calendar\nand we\u2019ll make sure something like this ~doesn\u2019t~ happen:\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"college<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Junior<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. Take the PSAT\/Pre-ACT<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

These tests give you a baseline and help you understand where you thrive, and they will give you an idea of what colleges are within your reach when you compare your results and your current GPA. These tests help you feel more confident about taking the ACT or SAT. Do your best and take the test seriously, but how you score isn\u2019t a make-or-break situation. The PSAT\/Pre-ACT are practice tests<\/em> designed to give you an idea about where you are before you take the real test. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike SAT\/ACT scores that may be sent to colleges you apply\nto, admissions counselors do not use\nyour PSAT\/Pre-ACT scores when they determine if they\u2019ll accept you or not<\/strong>. If\nyou don\u2019t score as well as you want, don\u2019t panic\u2014you *did not* ruin your chances of getting into college.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Spongebob<\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Do you ever get random info from colleges that you\u2019ve never shown interest in? <\/em><\/strong>That\u2019s because some schools buy student names and contact info from testing companies, and they will send you solicitation mail after you take the PSAT\/Pre-ACT if you have a score range that fits their acceptance criteria. Basically, these colleges like what they saw and are trying to start a conversation with you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Problems<\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

**The schools that send you mail may not interest you, but it\u2019s a good idea to read through what they send so that you can get a lay of the land and learn about what colleges offer in general to better learn your options.**<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have a list of colleges you\u2019re interested in, you should familiarize yourself with the scores you need to get into your top choice schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Talk to admissions counselors at college fairs and college visits<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Be proactive<\/em><\/strong> and take advantage of college\nfairs and attend visits when colleges come to your high school because it\u2019s your\nchance to talk one-on-one with admissions counselors at colleges you may end up\napplying to. They\u2019ll be able to answer all your questions about their school and<\/em> the application requirements.\nThey\u2019re basically there to educate you about their schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, you might stumble across a school you know nothing about. It\u2019s a great way to learn a bit more about the college from someone who actually works there instead of solely relying on online research for information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get to know the admissions counselors who visit and get\ntheir contact information. Not only are you getting the chance to know them and\nthe school they represent, they\u2019re\ngetting the chance to know you<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Start researching colleges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are thousands of colleges and universities across the country. It can be overwhelming knowing where to start finding schools that interest you. The first step is figuring out what you\u2019re looking for in a school<\/a> and how you think you\u2019ll fit in. Once you know what environments you\u2019ll thrive in and what majors you’re interested in, you\u2019ll be able to start researching schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few places you can start looking up schools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Where<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Where to start researching colleges<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
  1. Look through the mail you receive from colleges after you take the PSAT\/Pre-ACT. This may introduce you to schools you never considered before.<\/li>
  2. Meet with your school counselor. Be proactive and have a conversation with your school\/college counselor. They can suggest colleges and universities to check out.<\/li>
  3. Use Naviance. If this is available at your high school, you can use this software to search for schools that align with your strengths, interests and career goals.<\/li>
  4. Sign up for school mailing lists. Both mailing lists and email lists (like this one<\/a>) are a good way to get a feel for the college and what they offer their students.<\/li>
  5. Check their social media accounts. Follow colleges on social media and blogs to learn more about them.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    A big part of your junior year will be spent discovering colleges. You should spend some time in the fall gathering information about what you\u2019re looking for in a school. In the next post, we\u2019ll cover some things you should finish before you begin your senior year<\/a> to stay on track as you apply to colleges.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This blog post is part of a series that will help you as you apply to colleges. Today, I\u2019m sharing a list of some of the things you should do during the fall of junior year to be ready to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":754,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[52,53],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/754"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1164,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504\/revisions\/1164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}