Great Question.

Schools look at several things in an applicant. Here is a list of some of them.

1. Grades. Even if you can’t keep above a 3.5 make sure that your grades improve over time and don’t get worse. They also notice if you are getting mediocre grades in challening classes versus great grades in simple classes.

2. School Involvement. Keep up with the sports and clubs as much as possible. Don’t overdue it to the point it affects your grades though.

3. Community Involvment. Community service is important. Find something to unselfishly do for your community. Preferably something in the area that you would like to have a career in, if you know what that is.

4. Reccomendation Letters. Start creating good relationships with your professors and school staff now. Confide in them about your classwork, your goals, and your extracurricular activities. Keep the relationship going even when you no longer have class with them. When you start applying for colleges you are going to need their reccomendation letters. This is true for coaches and community service mentors as well.

5. SAT/ACT scores. The worse your grades are the more these scores count. Don’t just jump into the test. STUDY! It honestly makes all the difference. There are several free sites on the web that can help you study for these tests. At the very least give yourself 3 months to start studying before you take the test.

6. Essay. Work on your writing skills now. Get as much help as you need. Your essay is going to convery your personality, your goals, and your passion for higher education. This is a serious component of college applications.

7. Your passion for your goals. Make goals and complete them. Be passionate about you want and be determined to get it. This will show when applying for college.

Keep in mind that several of these things will also help when applying for scholarships!

Also remember that grades aren’t everything, if you just don’t have perfect academics then work on excelling in the other areas.

Good Luck!

Congratulations! I went to the University of California, Davis (Class of 2003). Significant memories were opening my eyes to connections between the various disciplines I was studying. As you progress through your general education requirements (i.e., lower division courses outside your major area of study), you’ll probably notice some commonalities, similar veins of thought, and one constant that I’ll never forget: everything you study entails a study of history, be it generally or the specific history of the subject at hand. The more you can appreciate how your major fits into the larger picture of human history, the more fulfilling and enriching your college experience will be. Have a great time, and best of luck to you!