With early decision and early action season here and regular decisions for seniors just around the corner it jump starts the idea of college in the minds of other grades. With the topic of schools buzzing around many may start scarrowing for schools in certain areas or with certain majors. But, for others it may be a topic full of stress and anxiety which may pose the idea of if ninth graders at our school should start considering college.
Now, many people may have mixed opinions on this considering it can be such an important topic having a lot to do with a person’s future. College is a place where teens spend their last years before being sent off into the “real world” making friends and learning passions which is why many say that there is no such thing as starting too early. While others believe that it is too much pressure and freshmen are still adjusting to high school.
An article by Confluence College Admissions Consulting tells us ninth grade year may be too early and we should “let them get acclimated to being a high school student first, and focus on college preparedness later.” They detailed other academic and non-academic ways that may prepare them for college admissions without stressing them out too much.
Freshmen should be prioritizing health and adjusting to high school by eating well, exercising, and getting eight hours of sleep to keep their body healthy. They should also be building habits that aren’t so focused on grades themselves but help them to achieve good grades. It is also important to start getting involved which doesn’t have to things you have been doing your whole life or there are many ways to branch out and try new things. You could also be taking a college visit or two to school near where you live to start getting an idea of what you may be looking for.
Then I decided to talk to school School Counselor Ms. Jennie Levin to see her perspective, she says that it is a great idea for freshmen to be thinking about college. She told me, “there’s so many things you can do if you start thinking about it early.” She described a story of an old colleague who told her that when teaching at a K-12 school the younger kids would pick a college to research then the older kids would go around and ask questions about the schools. This gave the older kids an opportunity to see a bunch of schools and instilled the idea of college into the kids from a young age.
She says since there are thousands of schools around the world, if you wait too long it will make the process a lot harder because there are a lot of options. Some of those options don’t even involve college, like if a child wants to go to trade school to become something like a plumber. She also told me about how when she worked in Arizona kids would get a certificate from a community college and become border patrol and then get their bachelors degree.
Then, research from an article by Ivy Scholars says that people should let kids be kids but 9th grade may be the year to start exploring. It’s important to start by trying to find your interests because it could lead to you finding your passion which may be something you could lean into for your career or activity for your admissions.
Grades should also be taken seriously, while they are not the only important thing in college admissions colleges need to know that applicants can handle their classes. Colleges want well-rounded applicants who are impressive and interesting, not just the highest GPAs, which is why passion and curiosity are so important.
On another end of the spectrum an article by College Contact says that it is never too early to think about college because preparing earlier can be a strategy for success. They talked about how grades are the starting foundation for your applications and building a good GPA and taking difficult courses may stand out to schools. A common theme is to find what you are passionate about, you can join clubs, or find volunteering or internships that can make your application stand out while also showing dedication.
They also touch on the importance of building relationships with teachers and counselors, these are the people writing letters of recommendation which can show off how good a student is. This can only happen when given the opportunity to know who you are as a person. College Contact believes that ninth grade is a great time to build up a foundation for an impressive and well rounded application.
In conclusion, it may not be a bad idea for freshmen to start thinking about college and maybe doing a bit of research into your interests to make the process of your senior year not challenging. But it should not be something that is being stressed about too much.
