Do I sound like your mother? Right. That’s because I am a mother. But I’m also a teacher, a tutor, and a college adviser, and I spend a good part of each year getting kids into college. Do you want to go to college some day? Then follow this advice that students from each grade can use right now:
Grades 8 – 10: Read. Read. Don’t stop – read some more. Reading the back of the cereal box is better than reading nothing. Reading Sports Illustrated or Seventeen is better than the cereal box. Reading TIME or Newsweek is WAY better than reading Sports Illustrated or Seventeen. TIME and Newsweek are written on the college level unlike most other magazines. The articles are varied and interesting, but the real value is in the letters to the editor (called “inbox” in TIME). When they print a letter, they also print the writer’s name and home town. No one wants to look like a dope in front of his neighbors, so the grammar and vocabulary in every letter are gorgeous. The letters, and the back page essay which is a perfect length for SAT practice, are written with an agenda and a tone. No one writes to Newsweek because there was nothing good on TV. Letter writers write to a magazine editor because they have a viewpoint, a slant, an opinion; your job as a reader is to figure out why the writer is REALLY writing. You’ll seldom be asked to read this type of writing in school – extended essay or persuasive opinion – so get comfortable with it on your own. Go online and get a subscription. It’s much less expensive than buying individual copies.
If you have finished your summer reading and want more, look for books outside your usual area of interest. Each genre has a jargon. Reading a mystery isn’t like reading a fantasy. Reading science fiction isn’t like reading a romance or a biography. Or if you’ve read a book before that you liked, read more by that same author. Or read a harder book that has more of what you liked about that other book. If you like chick-lit or romances, read Vanity Fair by Thackery or Jane Eyre by Bronte. If you like Dave Barry, read some Thurber or O. Henry short stories. If you email me what you like, I’ll give you a few suggestions that will bump up your reading skills while you’re being entertained.
And keep reading this blog for an advance look on what you’ll need to do as you get closer to senior year in high school.
Grade 11: Read and follow the advice above for 10th graders. Incoming Juniors should also be thinking about the PSATs that are coming up in October. Most students should just go in and take the test when it’s given. (Don’t worry, your guidance counselor will sign you up and tell you where to go and when.) There’s a free booklet in the guidance department in which the College Board gives you advice about taking the test and a few sample questions. If, however, you’re the kind of student who panics before every test and gets ill before important tests, it may pay for you to find a tutor and have a few sessions to get ready. (You can take a course, although they’re so seldom useful. But I covered that already in another blog.) The only other type of student who should get pre-PSAT tutoring is one who regularly scores very, very well on standardized tests. The National Merit Scholarship is derived from PSAT scores, so if you’re likely to qualify, get tutoring before the PSATs to increase your chances of getting a scholarship. The PSATs are a bit easier than the SATs, mostly because the PSATs are shorter, but the questions are identical, so PSAT tutoring will give you a head start on SAT preparation.
Grade 12: Read and follow the advice for 10th graders – when you take a break from college applications.
By now, you should have a list of colleges that interest you. If not, read my blog entry from last year on how to build a list of colleges based on online resources. Go visit some. You don’t have to visit all the schools you apply to, but you should have an idea if you like small or large schools, rural, suburban, or urban schools, religious schools or secular schools, and so on.
If you are going to visit, interview with an admissions officer if it’s offered. (Read this blog post for suggestions on what you should be looking for during a college visit, and visit this blog post for thoughts on how to make a good impression when you’re on an interview.)
You should be writing your college essay this summer. Start now. Don’t wait for your English teacher to mention it. Take advantage of college early action programs by having your application and essay prepared before you start classes in September. (But please read this advice first.)
Lastly, don’t forget that you’ll be taking the SATs or ACTs again in a few months. Decide which test to focus on, and get busy improving those areas in which you are weakest. Let me know if you need some help.
You’ll have plenty of time to relax next year in science class (just kidding!), but right now you should GET BUSY!
Wendy Segal http://www.wendysegaltutoring.com
High School 2 College 
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