Sophomores
Sophomore year is a time for students to focus on personal growth and academic achievement. Students are encouraged to expand extracurricular activities and explore leadership opportunities. The opportunities may be found in community service, clubs, athletics, fine arts, employment, and other areas of personal interest. The counselor/student/family relationship continues to grow during sophomore year as we meet with students to provide guidance, support, advocacy and encouragement.
Sophomores should focus on developing effective study habits, maintaining good grades and participating in extra-curricular activities. Courses should be challenging in order to be prepared for coursework after high school. Students should begin thinking about their future plans and start researching information on schools or opportunities that may be available after high school.
Have a great year!
Sophmore Announcements
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Sophomore High School/College Planning
Planning for college: How to start preparing for college in your sophomore year.
Article can be found at: http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/8A88B7F9/Sophomore-High-School-Timeline-andAction-Plan/
The countdown to college has begun. While you’re watching your friends in their junior year stressing out about college admissions, there are a lot of things you can do to make it easier for yourself next year.The primary focus your sophomore year should be keeping that grade point average up, getting involved in extracurricular activities, and preparing to take the standardized national tests (either the SAT or the ACT). Here’s how to make sure you stay on the right track during sophomore year to get into the college of your choice.
Fall (August-October)
- Make an appointment with your guidance counselor to talk about courses, grades, life after high school, etc. Together you can also discuss college programs, majors, degrees and careers and figure out which colleges offer the degree or major you want. If you’ve identified some universities you’re interested in, make sure you’re meeting the academic requirements for admission.
- Take the PSAT test in the Fall. It will prepare you for the SAT and ACT tests, which you will need for admission to most colleges.
- Study hard to keep that GPA up. Your GPA is cumulative and will appear prominently on your school transcript. Universities scrutinize your GPA when considering your transcript for college admission. A higher GPA improves your chances of being awarded scholarships. Colleges also look at the rigorous courses you might take.
- Participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, arts or volunteer groups.
- Attend the BAC College Fair.
Winter (November-February)
- Analyze your results from the PSAT test &study your weak points. Talk to teachers about ways to improve your scores.
- Search for colleges that fit your criteria & will get you on your way to the career path you want to follow. Use the tools on your child's SCOIR account to learn about schools’ academics, costs and requirements.
- Visit a college or university nearby to get a feel for the campus environment.
Spring (March-May)
- Go to college fairs, get in touch with current or former students, or use the websites found on the McT guidance page. When you find a college, start your official college list. Choose 2 or 3 “reach” schools and 2 or 3 “safety” schools.
- You are halfway through your high school career! This is when you really start preparing for college. Meet with your guidance counselor again to plan out your junior and senior year class schedule, keeping in mind the majors you are considering.
Summer (June, July)
- Make the most of your summer. In addition to having fun, volunteer for community service, get an internship or participate in a summer program at a local community college.
- Enroll in an SAT or ACT preparation course or take online practice tests to get a feel for the real tests.
- Get a summer job. In addition to helping you save money for university, a job will build your leadership skills and teach you more about the types of majors and jobs you’re interested in.
- Visit colleges to see what types of schools appeal to you.
- Take courses at the college level to get a head start.
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- Keep a calendar of all of your deadlines and test dates.
- Make sure you’re taking all the required courses you need for college.
- Evaluate your extracurricular activities, keeping in mind that quality is more important than quantity. Schools evaluate how you spend your free time to see that you’ve made a meaningful contribution/long-term commitment to an organization or cause.
- Keep up your list of all of your awards and extracurricular activities, along with the dates you participated and the names and contact information of people who you might want to ask to write a letter of recommendation for you. Keeping track of all of this information now will make it easier for you to remember during the college admissions process.
College Readiness Update
As parents of Sophomores, it may seem early to start thinking about getting your child ready for college, but it really isn’t – important groundwork should take place in the 10th grade. See the attachment below for a list (provided by The College Board) to help make sure your child is on the right path.