December for Juniors
Juniors - As you finish up your 5th semester of high school remember to pay attention to your attitude toward college recruiting and actually being accepted into a college. Remember that your attitude is the way you view your life – your experiences, your environment, your opportunities, your problems, your choices and your responses. This time next year, assuming you follow your checklist and plan, you will probably have a good idea of where you are going to college. Keep a good attitude on the direction in which you lean on all ideas and issues. Your attitude will either be failure-reinforcing or success-reinforcing. What you are doing right now to get yourself in a good position to have that decision made in 365 days is critical! Stay focused on what really matters and keep a great attitude toward your college search! Attitudes begin as harmless thoughts. Then, with practice, they become layered by habit into unbreakable cables to shackle or strengthen our lives. Make sure your thoughts toward this process are positive and thought provoking. Be sure you turn over every stone without assuming you are better than any one college or not good enough to get into any other college ... keep focused on making the right decision for you. Have a great week!
December Checklist
Think About Your College Essays
In the spring, many eleventh grade English classes focus on the personal essay. If yours does, work hard and you’ll save yourself a lot of grief in the fall of twelfth grade. If not, think about what to write. Ask teacher or counselor to help your brainstorm.
Analyze how you did on the PSAT
The PSAT was in October and results should already be back. Use them to assess your strengths and weaknesses in preparation for taking the SAT after New Year’s. Don’t be too concerned with a low score. The PSAT is shorter and not always an accurate predictor of your score on the SAT
Be sure to register for an SAT or ACT before the high school season begins - this is very important, otherwise you will be trying to juggle baseball vs SAT/ACT and then when the June tests come, you'll have summer baseball and of course next fall the first tests might conflict with Perfect Game and Fall Classic - so save yourself some stress and headaches and get this scheduled now.
Need help in preparing for the SAT – I highly recommend Tara Mayole for all test prep for baseball players (let me know if you need her contact info)
Her class will fit your schedule
She will work with you
She is awesome
Spend time over the holidays and think about what type of college you want. Big or small? Far away or close to home? If you are thinking level (D1, D2, D3, NAIA) - now is the time to change that way of thinking - look for right fit!
Continue to build your list of colleges that know you exist - depepending on when you started your search, now is probably not the time to narrow your list down - rather continue to build it until the end of next summer when you have what I call your "Labor Day Reality Check"
