Sophomore Year

I explored freshman year last month and will go ahead and move through the progression in the coming months. That means I'll be discussing the 10th grade year here. Of all four years of high school, sophomore year probably has the least going on. Students should have moved past the transition period from middle school but they are not yet at the stage where activities related to college planning really step up. In a lot of ways, this is kind of an auto pilot year.

Any good pilot will tell you, though, that switching into auto pilot doesn't mean there isn't work to do. What is most important is that students continue to make good grades. They should be increasing the rigor of their schedule with classes that are appropriate for their ability level and perhaps testing the waters of honors, advanced placement, and similarly rigorous courses. Since there is not as much going on during sophomore year, students do sometimes fall into what is called the sophomore slump. It’s just an easy year to phone it in and slack. Parents should be wary of this and do what they can to keep their children motivated.

Many sophomores also have the opportunity to take the PSAT or ACT's Plan. These give most students their first taste of college entrance exams. The score they receive is generally in line with how they will score when they take the "real" tests and can be used as a first indicator of the colleges for which they'll be competitive for admission. PSAT and Plan have components that allow for the opportunity for feedback and individualized test preparation. 10th grade is certainly not too early to begin preparing for those tests that will be a focal point of junior year.

In terms of college planning, perhaps the best thing your sophomore can do is to think. This is a time when students really need to be thinking about what colleges they may see themselves attending. Do they want a big school or small? Close to home or far away? Sometimes, the writing on the wall begins to become apparent that their dream school just isn't going to happen. Again, that PSAT score is not going to be too far off from their SAT score and if they've been a low B student through a year and a half of high school, they are not going to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. So, parents and students need to become realistic with themselves and their college choices at this time. You can research some colleges that you haven't thought of before and plan to take some road trips to check them out.

Sophomore year is really all about laying the groundwork. If students operate at a high level in the classroom, start to think about life after high school, and move towards the testing that should be a focal point of their junior year, they’ll be on course for a smooth flight.