10 Pro Tips toensureastress-freestarttoyoursophomoreyearofhighschool
As you dive into this exciting season, let’s make sure you and your student are set for a fantastic sophomore year! Working with your student’s teachers and college counselor will help keep everything on track Here are 10 essential things to keep in mind as you navigate the start of your sohpmore year of high school:
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Academic Planning & Sophomore Year Coursework:
Review your student’s course schedule to ensure they're on track for graduation and meeting college requirements Transcripts are heavily weighted in the college admissions process, so focus on excelling in challenging courses that align with future college and career goals
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Develop Organization Skills: Assist your child in creating an effective organizational system for managing assignments, deadlines, and extracurricular commitments
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Reflect on Graduation Requirements: Help your child refamiliarize themselves with graduation requirements, including necessary credits and electives, and work with their counselor to plan effectively
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Extracurricular Activities: Support them in pursuing extracurricular activities that align with their interests and college goals Leadership roles and consistent involvement can strengthen their college applications.
Create Strong Study Habits: Start by creating a consistent study schedule, setting specific goals, and breaking tasks into manageable chunks Use active learning techniques like summarizing information and self-quizzing, and create a distraction-free study environment.
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Career Exploration: Help them explore potential career interests through internships, job shadowing, or discussions with professionals in fields they are interested in Roadtrip Nation is an excellent free resource to get started!
Stress and Well-being: Sophomore year brings on new demands and responsibilities Support your student by encouraging healthy habits, managing stress, and providing emotional support throughout this busy time
Explore College Entrance Exam Options: Encourage your child to learn about various college entrance exams like the ACT and SAT, and familiarize themselves with test submission policies Understanding these options will help them stay informed about the different pathways available for college admissions. 5
Time Management Skills: Help your child develop a time management plan that includes study time, extracurricular activities, and downtime
Standardized Testing: If your student is getting a head start, they may take the PSAT/NMSQT or ACT in October and receive scores in November Use these scores to plan test prep for the ACT and/or SAT Keep track of test dates and deadlines
Here are the 2024/25 test dates:
11/2/2024 10/18/2024 SAT
Test Date Registration Deadline
10/5/2024 9/20/2024
12/7/2024 11/22/2024
3/8/2025 2/21/2025
5/3/2025 4/18/2025
6/7/2025 5/22/2025
Register here
10/26/2024 9/20/2024 12/14/2024 11/8/2024 ACT 2/8/2025 1/3/2025
Test Date Registration Deadline
4/5/2025 2/28/2025
6/14/2025 5/9/2025
7/12/2025 6/6/2025
Register here