College Application Timeline Part II: Tips for 11th and 12th Grade Students

College Admissions Preparation: Tips for 11th and 12th Grade

In Part I of our College Application Timeline blog posts, we shared tips for how students in 9th and 10th grade could intentionally prepare for the college application process. This blog focuses on 11th and 12th grade, at which point you might feel like everything is happening at once! Our hope is to give you some guidance in a few key areas, breaking down the process into manageable parts. 

11th Grade College Application Planning

Academic Excellence:

  1. Course Selection: Choose challenging courses that align with your academic interests and college goals. If you’re planning to major in engineering, now is not the time to load up your schedule with English and history classes. Our admission guidance team helps students make the best decisions about their course selections that match their priorities.
  1. Test Prep: Begin serious preparation for standardized tests and plan to take them during junior year. Marks Education has experienced tutors who work one-on-one with students, from helping them choose between the ACT or SAT to final tips before test day so they can do their best. 

Extracurricular Activities: 

  1. Leadership: Continue taking on leadership roles in clubs or organizations, but also consider additional ways you can engage. Does your organization need students willing to arrive early to set up, innovators who can generate great ideas for fundraisers, or outgoing connectors to encourage new members? You might be the perfect piece to this puzzle. By actively engaging in a few activities, you’ll learn new skills, find a community, and you might even have some great essay topics to write about, too!
  1. Depth: Rather than being involved in every club your school offers with the hopes of impressing admissions officers, consider concentrating your involvement to make the most impact. It’s great to show that you have a diverse range of interests and can participate in the swim club, computer science club, and wildlife exploration club; but it’s best to show that you’re invested and prepared to make a difference wherever you go, and you can’t do this if you’re spreading yourself too thin. 

Summer Enrichment and Internships:

  1. Internships: Now more than ever, it’s important to seek out summer internships or research opportunities in your field of interest. At this point in the college application timeline, this is your last chance before applications are due to add to your profile, so make sure you use it! 
  1. College Application Essays: Many students start working on college applications during the summer before 12th grade. If you have time in your summer, is a huge advantage to have a solid start on your essays before you’re back in school with other time commitments limiting the time you have to write thoughtful essays. Do yourself a favor and start early to avoid last-minute stress!

College Research: 

  1. College Visits: Try to visit every school you’re interested in applying to, and take time to write down things you notice while touring– this will make it easier when it is time to write your essays. Maybe you see students relaxing on the quad, a flier for an exciting research project, or a dining hall that really rocks your world; these are all great things to remember for that “Why Us?” supplemental essay.
  1. Financial Aid: Start researching and applying for scholarships and financial aid. Ability to pay should not be a barrier to applying to colleges; some programs offer fee waivers, scholarship applications, and assistance that helps bridge gaps for students. 
12th Grade College Application Planning

Academic Excellence:

  1. Finalize Coursework: Complete your high school courses with dedication and maintain a strong GPA. As you look ahead to college, maintain focus on your high school classes; this is your opportunity to keep honing study skills and self-discipline that will serve you well in college. 
  1. Retake Standardized Tests: If needed, retake the SAT/ACT for improved scores. Standardized testing can be challenging for everyone, so if you feel like you’re struggling, consider strategic test prep with a Marks Education tutor to strengthen your skills and improve your test scores.  

College Applications:

  1. Early Deadlines: Pay attention to early application deadlines. Some schools start taking rolling applications as early as August 1, and most schools now offer Early Action or Early Decision options that are due around November 1. The Marks Education Admissions Guidance team can help you build your list, strategize your early application plan, and help you make sure you don’t miss any deadlines. 
  1. Application Essays: Continue (or start!) working on college application essays and seek feedback from teachers or counselors. This is where you’ll be pulling from the experiences you’ve gained throughout high school to present who you are as a candidate and what you have to offer to colleges. Our Admissions Guidance packages include personalized essay support that includes brainstorming, editing, and guidance to help you write your essays. We advise students on what makes a great topic for a specific essay prompt, what qualities to highlight, and how to actually write your essay.

Recommendation Letters: 

  1. Request Recommendations: Ask teachers and mentors for recommendation letters well in advance. No one wants to be asked at the last minute for a letter of recommendation– not only is it annoying for the writer, but it might not result in a glowing letter, as a rushed letter might not be the best letter. 
  1. Provide Information: Share information about your accomplishments and goals with the individuals writing your recommendations. Prepare a document that functions like a more descriptive resume, providing context and detail to the experiences they might want to reference. Having this prepared at the time you ask makes you look professional and responsible, two excellent qualities for college applicants. 

Decision Making: 

  1. Evaluate Offers: When acceptance letters arrive (because if you’ve done your job right, they will arrive!), carefully evaluate offers based on your priorities. With consideration to the school’s educational offerings, extracurricular activities, location, and student body population, where do you see yourself spending the next four years?
  1. Final Decision: Now you’ve completed the college application process step by step, it’s time to make your college selection and submit any required deposits. Yay! You’ve done it!
Conclusion

While this overview provides broad information about what to expect and how to prepare, each student has unique circumstances that will guide the college application process.

If you’re looking for more information to help improve your admissions chances, achieve your SAT or ACT Goals, and stand out amongst competitive applicants, consider reaching out to Marks Education for admissions guidance, essay help, tutoring assistance, or SAT/ ACT Prep. If you live in Bethesda, McLean, or D.C., you can meet our expert, friendly staff at one of our local offices. Our professional and engaging remote advisors and tutors meet virtually with students all over the world. Reach out to schedule your introductory call!

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