Here’s what high school freshmen & sophomores need to do RIGHT NOW

October 5, 2022

If you’re expecting your kids to enroll in a college after high school, you need to know something about the expectations within the admissions offices. Colleges don’t just want to sort through lists of grades and standard extracurriculars. Admissions officers repeatedly say they want students to demonstrate what motivates them and articulate why that college would be a good fit. These are the people who decide whether or not your student gets sorted in the No or Maybe pile, so it’s important to know what they want.

If your kids are just now starting their freshman or sophomore year of high school, it’s an ideal time to plan ahead for college applications. That’s right, even if your student has another few years before graduation, they should be writing and editing a personal narrative. By the time they’re put on the spot to write a personal essay about being a great fit for a university, it’ll be a cinch.

Most of us waited until 11th or 12th grade to take our future seriously. Your kids need to stand out in order to succeed. The sooner they practice what that means, the better.

What do university recruiters want to know about students?

University admissions and recruiting offices spend loads of resources to identify and recommend the best matches. Time and money is on the line for them. Their top complaint is that high school students don’t differentiate themselves from other applicants. 

Even the most prestigious colleges say that most students struggle to talk about themselves and their goals. That means there’s a huge advantage for teens who learn to develop a personal narrative.

A long-time MIT admissions officer has advice for how students should use spikeview to stand out from the crowd. 

The spikeview student portfolio helps your kids demonstrate everything they have to offer the world. It catalogs interests, experiences, references, and more. 

It’s a secure and private platform to help young people start developing and practicing responses to “tell me about yourself.” Your family decides what information gets shared with college admissions and recruiters, and it’s all totally free. 
Click here to learn more.