For Rising Juniors, Now Is The Time to Plan, Not Panic

For rising juniors, it’s both exciting and a little scary to realize college applications are less than a year away. With your sophomore year completed, many students in the class of 2023 are wondering how to make the most of their time this summer. We certainly don't want to add to any existing stress, but we know that these next three months can have a big impact for rising juniors.



Here are the three things we suggest they prioritize this summer.


1. Do something productive with your time.


Summer plans have been disrupted for many teenagers, as have many summer camps and sports. As tempting as it might be, this shouldn’t be an excuse for students to play video games in their bedroom or make TikTok videos all day. A little bit of that here and there can be a nice outlet, but it's important that students take this time to learn about themselves, gain new skills, and explore opportunities.

We encourage rising juniors to consider something self-driven, such as an independent project, a volunteer online internship, or advocacy work. There are also great opportunities to take online college-level courses at many universities around the country. Students gain valuable experience from creating their own opportunities for the summer.


2. Revisit your class choices for this coming year.


With many high schools offering classes pass/fail this spring, colleges don’t have the usual grades from sophomore year to consider. More than ever, junior year is a critical time for students to really focus on maximizing the strength of their transcript. This coming year's transcript is often the last one colleges will see. Challenging high school coursework, such as AP, honors, and IB classes can boost a student's chances of admission at a competitive college or university. 


Encourage your student to review their school’s course catalog for challenging classes in the same fields they were already planning to focus on. For example, if they love biology and excel in it, they might take AP biology or honors anatomy in the future. What prerequisites will they need to satisfy in the meantime? These are the things they can be thinking about now.


3. Complete informational interviews.


As students start thinking about what subjects they're interested in, informational interviews can help them decide if it's really something they want to pursue—as a major or a career. Talking to trusted adults with knowledge of specific career paths is a great way to start thinking about potential college majors and future career possibilities. Download our guide to informational interviews as well as our guided worksheet to help your student get started.



This summer will be different from any other summer your student has ever experienced. That's why it's important to go into it with some specific plans for how they'll spend their time. That way, they're sure to be ready to hit the ground running in the fall.


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