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Junior Year: Why Is It the Most Important Year of High School?

Dr. R. Fred Zuker is a featured monthly columnist in the Education section of The Jackson Sun

Junior Year: Why Is It the Most Important Year of High School?

Parents often ask me, “what is the most important year of high school for my college-bound student?” Without hesitation I answer, “the junior year.” This is not to minimize the importance of the other years of high school, they are all important. But for the student considering college the junior year looms large. For those juniors who are beginning their spring term there is no better time than right now to make sure this year is their best. High school juniors may tire of hearing this admonition but it is worth repeating especially while there is still time to improve those second semester grades.

Why So Important?

Timing is one reason the junior year is so important. College admission officers will make decisions on applications beginning midway in the fall term and early in the spring term for the more selective institutions. Unfortunately, for the late bloomer the results of a stellar senior year will not be known until the decisions are made. The timing issue is of greatest importance for those students considering applying under an early decision or early action plan. For those students the decision on their application will turn on the strength of their record through the junior year.

The junior year is also a time when students will be taking a more demanding program of study. The strength of a prospective student’s curriculum is one of the major determinants of admission to a selective college or university. Parents and rising junior students should be aware of this as they pre-register for courses next year. Significant improvement in academic work in the junior year will mitigate less distinguished work in the lower grades. Colleges consider the most recent work the most reliable in predicting the performance of a prospective student. The student who shows dramatic improvement in the junior year will have a distinct advantage over a student who slumps as a junior even though the grade point averages may be identical.

Not Just Academics

Although courses and grades are the most important factors in the preparation for college, the admission officers will also consider extracurricular activities. The junior year is the time when students may be selected for leadership roles and show developing interest in fewer more focused areas. The junior year is a time when the interests of the student become noticeably developed. It is a time when the student may have to make decisions about which activities to develop and others to relinquish. These are decisions that are best made in concert with parents and the school counselor.

Planning

For parents of the college-bound the junior year is an ideal time to begin serious planning for the admission process. Early in the year plans should be made to take the standardized tests, PSAT, ACT and SATI that will help the student identify areas that need improvement and for early appliers these are the scores that will count the most. This is also the time to begin compiling information on potential colleges that will eventually become the final list.

This process should include acknowledgment of the student’s actual academic strengths and preferences along with personal factors such as location and size of institution. Taking steps in the junior year allows for reflection on the factors that will influence the student’s college experience and also permit campus visits in the summer and virtual tours on the Internet to determine if a college meets all the requirements for a successful match.

Parents of high school juniors or those soon to be should keep the following in mind:

  • While there is still time juniors should be encouraged to hit those books and compile the best academic record possible.
  • Rising juniors should take courses to give them the best academic profile appropriate for their skill level and academic preparation.
  • Evaluate critically the student’s academic record and personal preferences to begin constructing the list of colleges where the student will submit applications.
  • Meet with the guidance counselor to discuss college planning, standardized test dates and curricular matters.

Parents who approach the college-going process during the junior year are more likely to avoid the stress that is associated with this adolescent rite of passage. Parents can play an important role in helping their students make this process part of the maturation that is essential when the student leaves home to make their way in the world of academe.

Fred Zuker
President
Lambuth University

Lambuth University • 705 Lambuth Boulevard • Jackson, TN 38301 • 1-800-LAMBUTH • Dr. R. Fred Zuker, President
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