A New Year’s Calendar - not Resolution

The most important question a college counselor must grapple with each winter is “What needs to be done, and when does the applicant need to do it?” Accordingly, one of our most important tasks involves setting up a calendar covering the winter and spring months, outlining a very clear set of goals and expectations that must be met by each rising senior before the long summer break.

The testing calendar

A majority of all juniors will take a series of standardized tests as part of the college application process. Certainly, the SAT is the most popular standardized test offered by the College Board. While I have a love-hate relationship with the validity of the exam, I am also old enough to know that you “can’t fight city hall.” Therefore, as I begin working with a new group of rising seniors, I know that I must work this exam into the counseling calendar.

The issue, of course, is when? After all, the SAT is offered seven times during the school year: October, November, December, January, March and June. I highly recommend that students take the exam for the first time in the second half of the junior year, and encourage my students to mark off March as the optimal time to take the SAT for the first time. If the results are acceptable, this piece of the application puzzle is done by April. If there is room for improvement, I suggest the student take the exam again in October and November of their senior year.

I recommend this testing schedule for a variety of reasons. First, research by the College Board has shown that students see very insignificant score improvements upon taking the SAT exams more than twice. Additionally, research has also established that long term-preparation for the exam produces better results than cramming for a few weeks.

Can a student take the exam too many times? Well, to an extent, yes. As Callie Brown, an admissions officer at the University of Chicago recently shared with me: “We typically see three sittings per student; that is normal. Taking the exam five times or more is a bit unusual, and can look a bit strange to the reader.”

Speaking from experience, I fully support Ms. Brown’s assertions. While at Stanford I certainly felt that students who took the test an excessive number of times could be characterized as “grade grubbers” or “obsessed with numbers.” Clearly, this is not exactly the type of praise that leads to an admission offer from an outstanding institution.

Yes, I know that many students will take the exam time and again; claiming that score choice allows them to choose by test date which SAT score they want to send to colleges.

While this policy might tempt parents and students to take the exam multiple times, many highly selective colleges require students to waive the “score choice” option and submit their entire testing history.

Moving the second SAT attempt to October also provides students with the time and energy to focus on AP exams, offered in May, and SAT Subject Tests, which are offered in May and June. As a reminder, the College Board offers one-hour subject matter tests in addition to the more general SAT exam.

Topics covered by these exams can range from mathematics to physics to history or modern Hebrew. Many college admission offices want to see two SAT Subject Tests for admission purposes. It is my opinion that these exams should have been started, if not completed, before senior year of high school.

Overall, the appropriate time to take the subject test is at the conclusion of study of each subject, i.e. when a student has completed biology or chemistry or pre-calculus or a foreign language. And, when selecting which Subject Tests to take, student should be encouraged to focus on their strongest areas of study. If there are ever any questions, the student should be encouraged to consult with his or her teachers.

From APs/IBs to final exams in June, I worry that juniors may experience “test fatigue,” which is why I encourage students to be judicious when developing their testing schedule. Moreover, if a student wants to vary from the time line outlined above, I require parents to sign off on the plan.

Letters of recommendation

Once a testing calendar has been established, juniors must turn their attention to lining up letters of recommendation. As a reminder, most colleges require two recommendation letters from academic teachers. Additionally, a huge percentage of students are now choosing to apply early, meaning applications are often sent off by the end of October. The popularity of these early programs has had a huge impact on the counseling calendar.

First, I recommend that students request their first teacher letter of recommendation by the end of April. And, if students are applying early, they need to approach the second teacher before leaving for summer break. As for the teachers, their letters need to be on my desk for review by 1 October. Again, this calendar is adjusted significantly if there is not early application.

Finally, counselors must set an example and do a very good job of “self-governing.” By that I mean, counselor recommendation letters should be completed over the summer; and for that to occur, information must be gathered!

First, student survey forms must be turned in by 1 May. These forms, which play a vital role in the letter-writing process, require questions that are reflective and informative. And, they must be completed by students who are given the time and direction needed to provide counselors with quotes and insights that can be used in the counselor letter.

Personally, I split my student survey into two sections. The first section, which is a bit more basic and asks questions that go more to family and background, is due by the last week of February. The second section, which is far more reflective and requires students to discuss their goals and values, is due by the end of April.

The last piece of information a counselor needs to write the letter of recommendation is input from the teaching staff. I therefore encourage all counselors to set aside time in March and April to meet with all teachers who work with Grade 11 students. Their ideas and insight must be worked into the counselor recommendation.

Final thoughts

The longer I work as a counselor, the more I realize that a very important part of my job is just making certain that things are completed in a timely fashion. The first step in making this goal a reality is to set up a clear time line of expectations and share it with faculty, administration, parents, and rising seniors. Without a clear and established calendar, the process will certainly control the counselor, and take away from the time needed to effectively guide students.

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