Sixth Semester - Next Steps
By Karen Treon, Senior Editor & College Parent
Parents of juniors, this one is for you! We are dropping this in January, and high school juniors have just started their sixth semester of high school. This is an important semester, and we have some tips on how to encourage your students to make the most of it.
Grades Matter
Most students start applying to colleges pretty early in their senior years, and that means that this is the last full semester of grades that will be reported on those applications. Realizing this can be an eye-opening moment for students. It means that if a student is trying to show an upward trajectory with grades, this is the time! Other students might need to focus on avoiding a downward trajectory with grades. Whatever situation a student is in, their grades this semester matter.
Letters of Recommendation
Because applications are submitted starting in the fall of a student’s senior year, colleges suggest that Letter of Recommendation be written by teachers from the student’s JUNIOR year. Those teachers had a full year to get to know the student and can usually write more personal and relevant letters. Generally, colleges prefer 1 or 2 letters, with at least one written by a teacher in a core academic area. Students should consider which teachers they will ask for Letters of Recommendation and should ask them later in the spring (before summer, as that’s when most teachers work on these letters). It is worthwhile to gently remind students that their work ethic and communication skills this semester will directly impact these letters. Collegiality, engagement, curiosity, and hard work are valued and recognized by teachers writing LORs.
Activities, Jobs, and Leadership
Seniors hear a lot about the Activities Section of the Common App - something your junior isn’t likely to be thinking about yet. The Activities Section has ten slots allowing students to list the things they spend their time on and describe their participation in 150 characters or less (that’s short!). It behooves juniors to start to think this year about what they will want to say next year. For example, if a student is a second chair flutist in the orchestra, what will they be able to say about that beyond the obvious? If a student is the secretary of a club, will they be able to describe something particular that they did with that role? Mentoring new members, leading new initiatives, etc.? How about a job? If a student works outside of school will they be able to describe how they work as a team member or their focus on customer service? If they care for younger siblings after school, how have they used that time together? The beginning of sixth semester is a good time for students to reflect on what story they want to be able to tell about the opportunities they have had. Remember:
Authenticity matters. This is not the time to start new things in order to beef up college applications. Rather, it is time for students to identify the things they do that they do and deepen their involvement in a meaningful way.
There are many ways to show leadership that don’t involve an elected position or a captain designation or an award of some kind. Taking on a challenge, increasing responsibility, or getting out of a comfort zone is a better way to look at it.
If you find your student wondering about “what does a college want to see?” ask them to instead ask “what do I want this college to know about me?” and make decisions based on the answer to the latter question.
College Tours
College tours are more complicated than they seem. They are time consuming and expensive and many students have no idea where they want to visit, much less where they want to go to school. It is the time to start exploring and identifying priorities and preferred characteristics. A few tips about college tours follow:
One of the very few good things that came out of Covid is the virtual college tour. These tours, easily accessed on college websites, are informative, well-produced, convenient, and free! We suggest watching a variety of videos from different types of schools to start to see what characteristics are most important to the student.
If you live close to a college or university, we suggest arranging an official tour – even (and especially) if your student has driven by the campus many times. This is a great way for students to start seeing the range of opportunities that exist at universities and can help them identify things that are important to them.
If your family is traveling and has some extra time, schedule a college tour - even if your student isn’t interested in that college. It is through experience that students learn what to look for and what to ask – and you never know – they may end up loving the school.
Think of college tours - virtual or in person - as ways to identify what a student is looking for. Urban, suburban or rural campus . . . size of school . . . majors available . . . “the vibe” . . . transportation / proximity . . . climate / geographical area, etc. If a student does their research and wants to apply to a school they haven’t visited - that’s okay! You can visit the school if the student is accepted. This strategy can take the pressure off.
Keep notes about virtual and in-person tours! They will start to blur together over time, trust us.
At College Parents of America, one of our goals is to normalize talking about the cost of college. We suggest that as your student explores options you also talk about budget and cost. We have resources available on how to have these discussions on our site.
Sixth semester is not the time to get more busy, but to get more thoughtful and intentional. Approaching it this way will pave the way to a less stressful and more productive college application season and senior year.
