College Application Timeline: What to Do Each Year of High School

Most students and parents start the college application process too late. Universities evaluate grades and extracurricular activities since the start of 9th grade. This means that every class, every activity, and every summer of high school plays a role in college admissions decisions. Here's a detailed breakdown of what you or your student needs to be accomplishing each year of high school.

Freshman Year: 9th Grade

Freshman year is an important year and full of new experiences. If I could describe freshman year in one word, it would be: opportunity. I highly encourage students to try out new hobbies, join different clubs, try a sport, audition for the band — to start determining passions. Passions can be anything from math to basketball to leadership. The goal is for the student to try out different clubs and activities and remain committed with those that they like.

One of the biggest challenges of this year is time management: students have to learn how to manage their coursework and extracurriculars. At the end of this year, it's imperative to have summer plans. College admissions officers are going to ask themselves: what did this student do over their summer breaks? Try to pursue your passions, work part time, participate in a summer camp, start your organization, learn a new language — the options are endless!

Sophomore Year: 10th Grade

Sophomore year is a perfect time to start passion projects. Passion projects include founding a club, writing a book, starting a newsletter, and even pursuing content creation. College admission officers are interested in students who can take initiative and most importantly take risks. These projects can be measured by impact.

You should also start thinking about leadership positions and how to generate impact within each activity you are involved in. For example: How can you increase club membership? Can you partner with another club to create synergy? How do you go about fundraising for a cause? As club president, what new idea could you implement? How can you improve sustainability on your high school campus?

During this year, depending on your high school, you take the PSAT. This is an important test because it prepares you for the SAT. Remember that the PSAT score will not be part of your college application — but a high PSAT score is correlated with a high SAT score, so start preparing early.

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Junior Year: 11th Grade

Junior year is perhaps the most important year in the college admissions process. This is the ideal year to take the Digital SAT. A high SAT score can open opportunities for scholarships and aid awards at top universities. The exam is divided into two sections: Math and English. Each section is worth up to 800 points, with a total maximum score of 1,600.

One of the most frequent questions students have is: what's a good SAT score? That depends on the universities the student is aiming for. For example, top universities like Princeton and Harvard have an average SAT score of 1500+, while The University of Miami has an average SAT score of around 1400.

Ideally, you want to be at the average SAT score of your desired university or above. However, if the university has a test-optional policy, you can apply without sending your SAT and still have a shot at admission. While it's possible, I would highly encourage students to try their hardest studying for the SAT. In our experience at Avanza, students who do submit their score get more scholarships and get into better universities than those who don't.

Senior Year: 12th Grade

Senior year can be stressful — but if you start the college admissions process ahead of time, you should have most of your essays and supplements ready. You want to ask for your Letters of Recommendation ahead of time, and ideally you already have your SAT score secured.

The Early Action / Decision deadline is November 1st. If you have all of the application requirements ready by then, I highly recommend applying Early. There are real chances of improved admissions and scholarships in the early round. The second application deadline is January 1st for Regular Decision. Most seniors will find out their admissions decisions in December if they applied early, and March if they applied in January.

Senior year is a reflective year as you write your personal statement, craft your own voice, and submit your applications. This is why we recommend starting early — because in 9th to 11th grade, you want to have excelled inside and outside of the classroom so you can showcase your personal growth, achievements, and why you deserve a spot at your dream university.

Conclusion

No matter what year you are in, Avanza can guide you through the college admissions process. An expert coach can make the difference and unlock scholarship opportunities. Each year of high school plays an integral role in your application — think about each year as a puzzle piece to your application, and make every one count.

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