College Application Starter Kit
What do I need to prepare for college applications?
You say your kid is in high school, but hasn’t started prepping for college yet? It’s time to set up a to-do list, a timeline, and a schedule!
Ideally, students should be focused on foundational college prep no later than 6th grade! If they’re already in high school, there’s no time to waste!
1. READ.
High school students should be reading at least one hour each day, every day. This is to build vocabulary, increase exposure to various grammar structures and literary devices, and provide practice understanding high-level, complex writing of all types. Reading manga, comics, and graphic novels are great, but they won’t cut it for college prep. Here’s what to read in addition to the fun stuff:
a) historical documents and books or articles on history itself
b) science and technology articles
c) classic literature and books including both prose and poetry
d) books and articles on government, politics, and civics
e) books and articles on social issues and news
f) autobiographical and biographical works on historical figures
Much of this is included on the SAT and ACT in their reading sections—but just reading it and forgetting it won’t be of much use. Have students keep a PAPER notebook in which to write new vocabulary words they come across. Then, after each daily reading session, have them write an analysis and a reflection to express important points, the author’s intentions, and relevance to the real world. They should not stop reading in the middle of a sentence just because the hour is up! It’s best to read until a reasonable stopping point. I always recommend re-reading the last few paragraphs from the previous reading session before I start a new one as well.
2. If your child is behind academically, don’t wait to get tutoring and academic help.
After school programs with tutors and homework help, private tutors, and learning centers all offer assistance for struggling students. As you know, the longer you wait, the further behind your student will fall. Yes, motivation can be a challenge! Set up systems of rewards to help your student focus on a goal and on objectives they can visualize.
3. Summer school and tutoring is not just for students who are behind.
If your student has a good work ethic and focus, you can do a lot of work at home. Each summer, study the coursework for the upcoming school year. This will save lots of stress, heartache, and wasted time during the school year. By getting books that will give students a chance to learn the subject matter early, you reduce the amount of time spent trying to grasp new concepts during the school year when there is less time and more deadlines.
Determine how many study days your student can use over the summer. If they have two months off, then divide the pages by the number of days. One day off from studying per week is reasonable (except for reading). So if your child has 70 days off for summer break and a 200-page book, Your student should complete about 3 pages each day (200 ∕ 70 = 2.8). I would round this to 5 just to provide a cushion for when days have to be missed.
If your students need a little more nudging to get going, then you or a tutor can go through the book with them. Keep in mind that “teaching” kids harshly and impatiently does not work. It will just make them hate study time. You’ll need to be patient—and teach them as if they are the child of someone you want to maintain a good relationship with.
Then when the school year starts, your kids will think, “Oh, I know how to do this! I learned this over the summer!” They’ll feel smarter, more prepared, and build confidence.
4. Start practicing for the SAT or ACT right now!
Both The College Board and ACT have study guides for their respective tests. We recommend getting the maker’s book as well as reputable third-party study guides as well. That provides a wider range of problems, different perspectives and additional commentary. Barrons, Princeton Review, and Kaplan all provide great study guides. Practicing problems should be a daily routine. Take the practice tests weekly.
Take the actual test every few months. We recommend two to three times. Most schools will count your best score from a single sitting of the test.
The College Board’s SAT is now an adaptive digital test, which means it must be taken using a computer. They have an application called Bluebook that you can download from their site. This is the same application that will be used during the official administration of the test in a testing center. You can use Bluebook to take practice tests and prepare for the SAT as well.
The ACT is currently paper-based with 2025 introducing the digital version. In 2025, students can still choose which they would prefer to take. For the moment, students can go to the ACT site and download practice paper-based tests for study and preparation. Check their site to see if they are offering digital practice tests.
Taking these full-length practice tests should be a bi-weekly routine! Identify the questions and problems that were challenges and focus most on those. If the student has a tutor, have the tutor provide extra practice and explanations for those most challenging to the student.
5. Register on the Common App website.
The Common App is a site used by over 1000 schools to give prospective students access to their applications. Registering will allow students and parents to see school requirements, deadlines, and essay prompts. This is very important to planning the application package. Students can see information about their target schools, how to apply, and what is expected of them. They can also see the essay prompts.
We recommend practicing the essays immediately, even as freshmen and sophomores. Have tutors, teachers, admissions experts, or other qualified people look over the practice essays and provide feedback. It is imperative that students use that feedback to practice making improvements and revisions to their essays. An outstanding essay is very difficult to write in one sitting. It takes practice, review and revision.
And remember, an excellent essay can sometimes help a student overcome mediocre test scores and an average GPA! Yes, the essay is that important!
6. Build good relationships with teachers and administrators—you’re going to need letters of recommendation!
Good grades, fine test scores, and extra-curriculars are fantastic! But mediocre letters of recommendation can sandbag students’ applications to their dream schools. Being someone of good character who respects the people around them is a major plus when applying to colleges. Teachers are colleges’ number one source of information regarding a student’s character. Most teachers won’t write a bad letter or review for a student, but if they don’t think the student has exhibited good character or shown needed growth during their time in the school, they won’t write a good one, either. A mediocre letter of recommendation is the same as a bad one. The admissions officers will recognize this immediately.
These are just a few of the many ways to begin preparing for college. There are multiple components to a stellar application package, and the process evolves!
Check back for more in the Mugenn-Sensei College Admissions Blog. If you have more questions about the admissions process and how students should prepare, leave a comment below! We’ll respond as soon as we can!
Ryan-Sensei
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