The Foreign Service Journal, December 2011

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 73 C OLLEGE A PPLICATIONS C HECKLIST FOR 11 TH -G RADERS H ERE IS A NO - NONSENSE GUIDE TO GETTING A JUMP - START ON THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS . B Y F RANCESCA K ELLY hen it comes to college admis- sions, junior year of high school is crunch time. This is when you’re expected to take the most challenging courses, get the best grades and start rack- ing up those SAT or ACT scores. Junior year is the last full academic year that factors into acceptance decisions from colleges. It also provides an opportunity to bring up a mediocre grade point average and polish your resumé. In addition, you can finish — yes, finish — a whole swath of the application process in 11th grade so that you do not get hit with a ton of pressure the next fall. Of course, what you’re really doing is moving some of that pressure to junior year, well before the stress of guidance office and college deadlines. If you accomplish everything on the to- do list below by August 2012, you will sail through your senior year. So, here’s your 11th-grade U.S. college application checklist. Start right now, in December, and you will be on a sound footing at the start of 12th grade. D ECEMBER ( OVER THE WINTER BREAK ) • Compile a list of potential colleges. Use college guidebooks, Web sites (see list under Online Resources on p. 82) and, if your high school offers it, the Naviance Family Connection Web site to come up with a list of col- leges that fit your needs. Include at least one “reach” school (a college that will be hard to get into, but wonder- ful to attend), several “match” schools (ones whose admit- ted students have transcripts similar to yours) and at least one “safety” school (where you are sure you will get in). Be certain you actually like all of the choices on your list, even the safety. And try to have a mix of different schools, varying in size, location and atmosphere. • Start investigating merit scholarship opportuni- ties. If you are interested in obtaining merit aid awards (as opposed to financial aid awards, for which you will apply during senior year), you might want to start with Foreign Service-related scholarships such as those offered by AFSA (see Online Resources, p. 82). Some people have had good luck with the scholarship contest site www.fastweb.com, but others feel overwhelmed by too many e-mail reminders. You also should check for special, even quirky scholarships offered by individual colleges. For example, you can get an Evans Scholarship at 14 schools — but only if you’ve worked as a golf caddy. • Plan to visit colleges when you can. Keep in mind that your gut reaction to a college may be affected by whether or not school is in session. During vacations (which, admittedly, may be the only free time you have to visit), a college has a very different atmosphere than when it is bustling with students. Some overseas students decide to visit only those colleges to which they’ve been accepted, during spring break of senior year. Others need S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT Francesca Huemer Kelly, a Foreign Service spouse, is a college application essay tutor and writes frequently on educational issues. She sends this from Vienna, Austria. W