5 College Planning Tasks for Sophomores

In sophomore year, your student is in a wonderful position to build on the interests and skills they learned in 9th grade. You’ll notice that one thing is not on our lists of tasks—college exploration. We find that it’s much more important to focus on academic and extracurricular activities that will help your student thrive in high school at this stage. Thriving in high school is what prepares students to be successful in college.

Here are 5 areas for sophomores to focus on this fall.


1. Begin Exploring College Majors 

10th grade is a great time to start exploring majors based on your academic interests. What classes and learning experiences most excite your student? If they love science, they might want to investigate STEM careers. Do they enjoy building things? Perhaps they should research engineering jobs. If they have an aptitude for writing, they could explore communications-related careers such as marketing or public relations. Doing informational interviews is a wonderful way to learn more about careers so look into your network to connect your teen to people in careers they might like. If your student is hesitant, join them in for the informational interview.


2. Aim for the highest grades in challenging classes

Your student should aim for the highest grades they can in all their classes, and particularly those that relate to a potential major. If study skills are behind, now’s the time to help your student develop good habits. If your student is struggling, encourage them to reach out to teachers for extra help.


3. Explore Activities and Leadership

Your teen should start to explore activities that interest them, whether it’s debate, a sport, music, etc. By finding and sticking with an activity they love, they can set themselves up for leadership opportunities in upper grades. The most important tip is not to sit on the sideline and wait to get involved. Students should dive into activities in or outside of school..


4. Start Doing Community Service

Early high school is an ideal time for students to think about community problems they might want to try to impact. If they care about animals, encourage them to volunteer at a local shelter. If they care about homelessness, have them volunteer with a nonprofit working in this area. The amount of community service hours is not the most important factor - it’s increasing their focus and commitment to a specific area. Focusing on hours can be useful as a way to determine what areas resonate with your student, but the hours themselves are not the goal. 


5. Prioritize Sleep & Health

Up to 70% of teens don’t get enough sleep, which impacts everything from focus to grades to anxiety and depression. Making sure your teen is getting enough sleep and a healthy diet is key to helping them thrive in high school.   


By focusing on these five areas, not only will your student have a fulfilling year, they will begin building a great college resume.


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