With most schools back in person this fall, students have the opportunity to engage more directly with peers and teachers after a long stretch of Zoom learning. As they adjust back to normal schedules, students should consider a few important tips as they make their way through the fall.

Note: this fall is particularly important for seniors and for juniors, both in terms of engagement and in terms of how a college will evaluate their transcript. We've broken down our tips for each grade below.

12TH GRADERS

1. Avoid senioritis. Now is not the time to ease up on academic performance. Instead, students should double down on the study skills and time management skills that they developed over the last few years. Colleges will notice.
2. Expect schools to ask for fall grades. If a student is waitlisted, colleges typically ask for fall grades to assess a student’s academic fit with the school’s criteria.
3. Pursue that independent project. Many students focus on an independent project in their senior year, based on an interest they’ve developed. Diving deeper into a field of study can help a student enter college with a better grasp of a topic that's crucial to their major.

11TH GRADERS

1. Shake off the spring. The last few months of the spring were a challenge for many 11th graders. This fall is the time to work on time management and study skills, regaining momentum from last February.
2. Set a goal. For many students, junior year is a sort of “academic audition” for college. Academic goals will be unique to each student—all A's, finally get a B in a language course, complete that Python programming project—but they can be the key to a winning junior year.
3. Match your grades to your major. It may seem obvious, but colleges often look at a transcript in the context of a student’s desired major. For example, students declaring an engineering major can expect a college to pay extra attention to their math grades—and to meet any calc or math-readiness requirements.

It's crucial to get off to a great start this year, especially for seniors and juniors. Circumstances are tough for everyone, but now's the time to buckle down and be sure the focus on academics is strong. That extra hour studying or time spent with a teacher reviewing your study notes can really make an impact.