How to Start Sophomore Year Off Right
How to Start Sophomore Year Off Right
Now that you have a year of high school under your belt, you’re ready to really make your mark!The 10th grade is an important chapter in determining what your story will be when you ultimately apply to college. As you prepare to welcome in another hopefully exciting year of learning, you’ll want to build positive momentum from the beginning.Below are a few of our best tips to help you maximize your sophomore year and embark on a path of academic, extracurricular, and personal success.
Learn from Your 9th Grade Self
You can improve upon mistakes that you made as well as successes you achieved by taking inventory of your 9th grade self. What went well last year for you? What do you wish you could have done better?Begin implementing the changes you need to make and building successful habits. If you found yourself struggling last year to understand material in class, for example, make a point this year to seek out your teachers before the class gets difficult so you’re comfortable with asking for help.If you felt like you had many great ideas during club meetings but didn’t share them, challenge yourself to be more assertive by making one comment per meeting during the first month of school, then building on that as time passes.Admissions officers love to see that students make appropriate adjustments and improve from year to year.
Get Involved
Don’t be an observer; be a doer!You may have a set of interests that you enjoy pursuing: sports, community service, a business venture, theater, a cappella, politics, activism, scientific research, cooking, fine art, robotics—they’re all worthwhile passions. Admissions officers care much less about what you do than how you do it.Now that you’re a sophomore, it’s time to take more of an active role in how you spend your time. Perhaps you held off on joining a lot of clubs last year to allow yourself to ease into high school. Or perhaps you dabbled in multiple activities but didn’t go overly deep into any of them.Begin identifying areas where you want to make your involvement count. And then go make it count!
Get to Know Your Resources
Even though you are a few years away from applying to college, now is a great time to begin familiarizing yourself with the people who will assist you in that process.Introduce yourself to your college counselor and get a sense of what your school’s process is. It’s also a great idea to meet your school’s registrar. He or she is responsible for preparing your transcripts; being comfortable with the registrar will make it easier to deal with any potential problems that arise later.Some high schools also have deans or other administrators who play an important role in the college process as well. These adults all work together to help you map out the most rewarding, successful high school career. Spend a little time getting to know them.
Appreciate What Makes You “You”
There is a lot of pressure on high schoolers to conform to a mythical standard of social behavior or “coolness.” Learning to deal with this pressure in productive ways will help make your high school career much more enjoyable.Your unique gifts and interests make you special. Don’t dull them to blend in; embrace them and stand out!There are colleges that specialize in virtually every interest—from architecture to zoology—and that educate students in a number of ways. However you prefer to learn, there is a school out there that specializes in teaching students like you. Now that you’re in the 10th grade, it’s time to take more stock in what conditions help you thrive and communicate your needs with your teachers, parents, and college counselors.
Embrace Challenge
Don’t be content with doing just enough to get by. Find opportunities to challenge yourself above and beyond what’s necessary. This is how you grow and discover new skills and passions.Are you on the fence about taking a more difficult class? Were you considering applying for a leadership role within one of your clubs? Perhaps there’s a role in the upcoming play that feels perfect for you, but you aren’t sure if you’ll get the part.Now is the time to take chances, embrace these challenges, and put yourself in a position to thrive. You may not always meet your goals, but by taking these risks you’ll establish yourself as someone invested in his or her own education. And you might surprise yourself by what you’re able to accomplish!
Have the Best Sophomore Year Possible
The key to being a successful college applicant is being a successful high school student.It’s never too early to start establishing that pattern or making corrections from whatever didn’t go as smoothly as a 9th grader. Many students find great benefit in meeting with an admissions expert during sophomore year to get an overview of the process and begin making proactive plans for how they’ll maximize the remainder of high school.The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.Ready to get started? Schedule a complimentary 20-minute conversation today!Want to stay informed? Subscribe to our newsletter.See what others are saying about us