03 May Road Map for May: Sophomores

At this time of year my advice for everyone starts off the same way: do as well as you can in your classes and on your finals.  Of course this year looks a bit different, with many schools canceling exams and APs being taken at home, but the rationale is the same: colleges generally care more about your curriculum and grades than any other factors in admissions.  Over the last several weeks of remote school I hope you’ve developed a routine and figured out some habits and strategies that work for you; if you need to adjust your approach, check out this advice for online learning from my colleague, study skills expert Paul Rivas.

Most students start focusing on the college search in 11th grade and there’s certainly no urgency right now, but if you have extra time you might benefit from some early exploration through virtual tours and information sessions. This is the most comprehensive list of online events I’ve seen. I also recommend planning now for visits in late summer, fall and winter when we hope and expect that in-person college tours will start up again, and doing some virtual events in the next few weeks can help you decide where to go when we’re allowed to travel.

Finally, summer will be here before we know it and many of the things you may have been planning are now canceled, modified, or up in the air.  As reopening discussions continue, try to come up with a variety of options for different scenarios so you’ll have a plan in place for whatever the situation in your area ultimately allows for.