What is the best time to start planning for college? Smart applicants and their families realize that being aware – but not obsessed – early on is immensely helpful.
During grades 8-10 there is still time and flexibility to try new things, fully develop your areas of interest, change priorities, and create an excellent foundation for future academic and personal accomplishments. Starting early allows you to still impact everything that matters for college admissions. Too many people wait until near the end of the process before learning the “rules of the game” they have already been playing for years. They then realize that a significant portion of the information that will be conveyed in college applications is already “locked-in.”
Students are often exceptionally busy during junior and senior years, and with advanced coursework and committed involvement in extracurricular activities, squeezing in all of the standardized testing, college visits, writing applications, etc. can be hard. Candidates who have already “banked” some accomplishments and preparation for the college process are at an advantage.
Strategic Path to College process for grades 8-10
Our college admissions game plan for grades 8-10 goes well beyond simply suggesting courses, standardized tests and extracurricular activities. We devote the time to helping you deeply understand who you are, what matters to you, and your context, in order to create a very personalized “recipe” for how to stand out by taking advantage your time and opportunities. It includes:
- Guided self-discovery and awareness process: goals, values, strengths, weaknesses, personality types, personal qualities
- Personal context review: your high school, family circumstances, geography, ethnic background, and the ecosystem around your primary extracurricular and summer activities
- Education about college admission priorities and process
- “Target zone” analysis – what you need to be academically competitive at your potential colleges given your HS context
- Course selection guidance
- Standardized testing plan
- Process to identify and fully develop activities you are most passionate about
- Extracurricular and time management plan
- Summer programs and internships – assistance identifying, prioritizing, and applying
- Guidance on building relationships with mentors, teachers, counselors, community leaders, etc.
- Creative non-fiction writing development
- Intellectual curiosity & vitality exploration options
- Social media review
- Opportunistic college exploration and visit guidance
Some families just want an outside expert opinion at this stage. For them, we offer the College Process Check-up , an efficient, rapid review of a candidate’s overall status including a 2 hour consultation and a written summary with recommendations.
Getting a head start on the process is especially important for many candidates with special circumstances, including:
- International students
- Home-schooled students
- Athletes
- Music, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts students
- STEM focused students
- Humanities focused students
Contact us for a free, initial consultation. We’ll discuss your situation, and whether our services are a good match for you