As a proactive parent, you want to ensure your freshman is well-prepared for college applications. You may already know that top colleges today consider a student’s entire high school career when evaluating their application. It has become essential to start early in helping your child build a strong college admissions profile right from the beginning.
Building a solid academic foundation is crucial for success in the college admissions process. Freshman-year grades are evaluated as part of the holistic application review process. Encouraging good study habits, providing academic support, and nurturing a love for learning from a young age will equip students to earn good grades early on and build on their skills throughout their high school careers. Students should learn important studying techniques such as time management, keeping a to-do list, and studying incrementally instead of cramming. Additionally, it is important to build a support system that will guide them throughout their high school journey. Early attention to academics will lead to higher GPAs and better-standardized test scores, which are crucial elements of college applications.
Top colleges are looking for students with unique interests and passions. Becoming such a student requires time, focus, and strategy starting early in their high school career. Freshman year is the perfect time for students to explore their interests through various extracurricular activities. Whether within their school community or outside of it, students should participate in various clubs and activities to discover their core passions and interests. The more diverse activities a student selects during their freshman year, the more they can compare their disparate interests and discover what they are truly passionate about. Early engagement allows students to develop a sense of belonging, identify their strengths and interests, and explore potential academic and career paths that may interest them.
Beyond passion and genuine interest, colleges want to admit students who will make a lasting impact on their campus communities and be forward-thinking leaders during their college careers and beyond. One of the best ways for students to show admissions committees that they possess these qualities is to demonstrate long-term commitment and leadership in one to three choice activities, clubs, volunteer opportunities, and passion projects throughout high school.
Sophomore year, students should discontinue some of the activities they try during their first year of high school as they hone their interests and decide what they want to stick with in the long term. Parents should encourage students to continually re-evaluate their passions by asking them questions to help them self-reflect. Students should carefully consider which activities spark their passion and drop those that don’t interest them. Ideally, students should stay plugged into the activities they prefer and join one or two additional clubs that allow them to develop interests that capture their attention. In addition, if a student has an interest not reflected in the clubs and activities offered by their school, taking the initiative to spearhead a new club or organization will convey their creativity, motivation, and initiative to colleges.
In the competitive world of elite college admissions, freshman year marks the beginning of the college application journey and is a critical time to lay the foundation for success. Starting to develop academic excellence, extracurricular engagement, and leadership qualities early on will empower students to navigate the college application process with confidence, self-awareness, and an understanding of their goals and aspirations.
To help you position your student for success, I have compiled resources that provide valuable insights and strategies for helping your child stand out in the competitive college application process.
