Setting a Fall Focus: Why Writing Your “Story” Matters at Every Grade Level

When it comes to starting the school year, we can get caught up in a ‘more is more’ mentality. It’s easy to take the fresh start of a new academic calendar and think we need our kids to pack it full of every class, club, and activity. But in college admissions, the thoughtful choices a student makes at each grade level are far more important than the length of their resume.

At TBU, we believe that each year of the high school experience is the opportunity to write a new chapter in a student’s self-directed story.

So the question to ask is not how busy a student is, but what story will they tell?

The ways you commit to school and invest your time and effort outside of the school day are opportunities to add depth, not simply to the story your college application will tell, but to the ways you are growing.

Since a new school year is an ideal time for fresh commitments, here are our recommendations for focus at each grade level:

9th Grade Students:

Academics

Write the story of your Academic Skills & Intellectual Curiosity —

The habits you create in 9th grade will stick with you.

Aim to start strong, and notice what subjects and ways of learning really spark your curiosity this year:

  • Focus on getting good grades – strive for B’s or better.
  • Work on developing stronger study and time management skills.
  • Relationships Matter — aim to become a self-advocate who is confident asking questions & seeking support & advice from your teachers and school counselor.
  • When you are enjoying a class, assignment, or topic explore & read about what majors & careers are connected to this interest

Activities

Write the Story of Who You Are by Engaging Beyond the School Day–

A critical part of any college application is being able to tell a story of who you are & how you spend your time beyond the hours of the school day. Good grades alone are not the whole story. Begin in 9th grade!

  • Explore and get involved with extracurricular activities — clubs, sports, community service, fine and performing arts, work, and other school or community activities.
  • While 9th grade is the perfect time to try new things, ideally, you will want to select a few activities to do in or out of school that you can plan on doing consistently throughout all four years of high school.
  • Create an activity log to track all of your extracurricular activities, summer experiences, academic honors, and other achievements throughout all of high school. Colleges only want to see high school activities.

10th Grade Students:

Academics

Build on the story of your Academic Skills & Intellectual Curiosity —

If you had a great 9th grade year- congratulations! Now is the time to build on that with consistency. If 9th grade wasn’t your best year this is the chance to shift your trajectory and recommit to the skills and habits that will support your success.

  • Focus on getting even better grades than freshman year – strive for B’s or better
  • Look for opportunities to increase the level of challenge in your areas of interest.
  • Take advantage of opportunities for PSAT or PACT practice testing.

Activities

Build Investment & Commitment through Engaging Beyond the School Day

  • Commit & be consistent with a few activities in or out-of-school throughout the rest of your high school years.
  • Participate in an activity or take a class that is related to a college major or career that you are curious about. This can be an internship, volunteer work, a college class, an elective course at your school, a school club, a job shadow, etc.
  • Update your activity log to track all of your extracurricular activities, summer experiences, academic honors, & achievements.

11th Grade Students:

Academics

Solidify the story of your Academic Skills & Intellectual Curiosity —

You will often hear that ‘junior year is the most important’ as this is the last opportunity for a full year of academic performance to share with colleges.

  • Focus on earning your strongest grades this year.
  • Know that as the rigor of your classes increases, you may need to develop new strategies or seek out new supports to be consistent in your academic performance.
  • Build strong teacher relationships and performance in your highest interest subject areas. Know that you will most likely be asking your 11th grade teachers for college letters of recommendation

Activities

Expand Leadership through Engagement Beyond the School Day

  • Continue to be consistent with a few activities in or out-of-school.
  • Look for opportunities to take on leadership roles or take initiative to start something in your areas of interest.
  • If you haven’t yet, look for ways to engage your interests and passions through community service.
  • Deepen your engagement in opportunities related to a college major or career that you are curious about. This can be an internship, volunteer work, a college class, an elective course at your school, a club, a job shadow, etc.
  • Continue to update your activity log with your extracurricular activities, summer experiences, academic honors & achievements

12th Grade Students:

it’s time to tell your story!

The college application is the place where the investments you’ve been making throughout high school come together to tell the story of your values, passions, curiosity, and investment in your community.

While we encourage 12th graders to closely follow the detailed TBU Application Timeline you’ll receive from us, there are a few things to keep in mind beyond your application process:

Academics

Continue Demonstrating Academic Skills & Intellectual Curiosity —

  • The rigor of 12th Grade Courses and your first term grades are a critical part of your college applications – this is the time to keep your effort strong & your performance high!

Continue Demonstrating Leadership, Commitment & Engagement Beyond The School Day

  • Showing continued involvement in your activities through 12th grade is crucial
  • Look for opportunities to deepen leadership, engagement and impact that you can share through your college applications, writing, and interviews

With many choices and opportunities available at the start of a new school year, channel overwhelm into focus.

By asking students to consider what story they want to be able to tell, students at every grade level can make meaningful choices to strengthen their applications & further their growth.

Families from the USA and All Over The World – Sign up for a FREE 20-minute phone call or online video meeting now so we can learn about your family’s college admissions needs and how we can provide support.

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