In junior year, the college guidance process truly takes off. While the College Office works as a team and assists all students, juniors are assigned their own advisers at the beginning of the year. Students should feel free to meet with their advisers and ask questions about the process, including standardized testing plans.

In October, parents are invited to the Financial Aid Night and are encouraged to use the SmartTrack website for guidance about planning to apply for financial aid.

Also in October, all juniors sit for the PSAT exam, with results returned in December.

In late-November, juniors and their parents attend the Fall College Night to hear from a panel of expert admission officers about the research and application process.

Group and individual meetings begin after the New Year. In February, juniors have classes cancelled one Monday and plan visits to colleges of their choice, as well as visiting schools during Chol HaMoed Pesach. At the Spring College Night, our biggest program of the year, representatives from over 40 colleges and universities speak in small groups (or individually) with juniors and parents.

Throughout the spring, juniors schedule individual meetings with their advisers, discuss preliminary college lists, research colleges, and visit campuses. Many juniors take SAT and ACT exams, as well as SAT Subject Tests in areas of particular strength.

The summer after junior year is a time for exciting experiences, whether academic, travel, chesed, work, or other. It is also a time to jumpstart the college application process by visiting and researching schools, by narrowing down the student’s individual college list, by drafting essays, and by filling in parts of the application forms.