Las Virgenes Educational Foundation - College Pathway

College Pathway - Sophomore Year

The 10th grade year is when the rubber meets the road, it's the let's-get-serious year. Students who are aiming for a highly selective college will need to be taking a difficult and demanding curriculum in order to be prepared for even more rigorous honors and/or AP classes ahead of them as juniors and seniors. If students did poorly as freshmen, they still have time to redeem themselves and show colleges that there has been a turn-around. Colleges will overlook a mediocre freshman year if they observe a change in the sophomore year that continues through the high school career.

Sophomore "To Do" List

The significance of extracurricular/volunteer activities take on even more importance in the eyes of college admissions officers as students progress through high school.
Students should continue to develop the reputation for working toward their potential. Nothing breeds success like success.
Students should learn to deal respectfully and personally with their teachers and advisors as they will need to know and remember them fondly when it comes time to write recommendations and provide feedback to the college admissions process later in the senior year!
Although students are always encouraged to attend classes and to avoid absences, students should take advantage of the college representatives who visit their school campus. This is a great opportunity for both parents and students to get first-hand information from the experts. Check with your school to find out where/how these visits are announced

Parents and students can also get information about UC & CSU Campus Tours at the College Visits, Fairs and Tours link. Colleges often have Preview days that they advertise (although often they reserve their space for juniors or seniors, depending on the college) in the fall and spring semesters. These are opportunities for students to visit universities, often for an overnight stay. Colleges arrange for students to visit classes, eat in the cafeteria, and just experience what college life at their school would be like for a day.

Campus Clubs (CHS | AHS) provide students with a wide range of interests to meet other like-minded students, as well community service & leadership opportunities! We also have a webpage devoted to external community service and leadership programs which you can access by clicking on this Community Service & Leadership Opportunities hyperlink.

Students who have not yet visited their College & Career Center (CHS | AHS), should do so. You can investigate colleges and careers that suit your interests and then gather information about them.

SAT Subject Tests Some schools ask for students to take additional standardized tests as part of their admissions requirements. These tests are known as the SAT Subject Tests. Since they are subject specific, the best time for students to take them is at the end of the year in which they are taking that course in High School. For example, many sophomores are taking some version of Biology and World History. These two categories are both available as Subject Tests, so if a student is doing reasonably well (at least a B grade), he/she should plan to take these SAT Subject Tests in either May or June. Students can take as many as three subject tests in a single sitting, and the good news is that most colleges will only use a student's best scores in the admission process.

The PSAT For sophomores, taking the PSAT is a possibility this year in October. Please remember that it is a practice test, so no test preparation is necessary. For more information on the PSAT, visit the College Board website.

Honors & AP Courses: 10th grade is the year that many students will begin to access AP & Honors level courses. Please check with the counseling department at your school for information about these programs.