[Study Abroad & Immigration] How to Plan Thoroughly for Grades 9-12 When Attending High School in the U.S.?

In recent years, studying at a U.S. high school has become increasingly popular. Families with the financial means are sending their children to the U.S. for high school or immigrating to the U.S. to allow their children to receive an American education early and integrate into American culture more quickly. So, how should one plan for high school in the U.S.? There are different tasks to complete each year during the four years of high school. Join the editors at Worldway Immigration Group to learn about the ultra-detailed study plan for grades 9-12!

Grade 9

Laying the Foundation & Transition

Grade 9 is the first year of high school in the U.S. Starting from grade 9, a student's academic performance and extracurricular activities become part of their college application. The main purpose of this year is to adapt to and become familiar with high school resources and the educational environment as early as possible. You can use the following principles as a benchmark for your planning.

● Adapt to the school as soon as possible, understand course selection, and become initially familiar with the school's college application counseling procedures.

● Take more challenging courses, make full use of school resources, and constantly challenge yourself.

● Choose a second language of interest and use the next four years (including short-term visits and studies in countries where the language is spoken) to master and apply it proficiently.

● Participate in or organize various extracurricular activities to cultivate interests while discovering and enhancing your team leadership skills.

● Visit universities of interest during holidays, including both universities and liberal arts colleges, to understand their different focuses and differences, and make preliminary preparations for the list of schools you will apply to in the future.

● If the subjects you are taking (such as biology or history) cover the content of SAT Subject Tests, you might as well try taking the SAT Subject Test while the memory is fresh. If the score is not ideal, you can retake it at any time.

● Read as widely as possible. Enrich your vocabulary, enhance your writing and critical thinking skills, and gain a deep understanding of Western history and culture to lay the foundation for future ACT and SAT exams.

● Make good use of your summer vacation to enrich your experience; whether it is travel, community service, volunteering, music performance, or internships, all are good choices.

Grade 10

A Critical Year

Grade 10 is a very critical year. In addition to maintaining good grades and taking more advanced courses, you should also use this stage to deepen your participation in extracurricular activities and deepen your understanding of college applications. There are several goals to achieve at this stage:

As the difficulty of coursework increases and the time spent on other activities grows, learning how to be self-disciplined and manage time effectively is crucial, which will also help you better adapt to the pace of college life in the future.

● Continue to take challenging courses (such as AP courses) and strive to achieve good grades to increase the value of your high school GPA.

● Actively participate in activities outside the classroom to fully develop your initiative and leadership organizational skills.

● Take advanced courses in a second language to demonstrate your proficiency in using that language, for example, by participating in cultural exchange activities in countries or regions where that language is spoken.

● If the school allows, you might want to try taking the PSAT (preliminary SAT) or PLAN (preliminary ACT) once. The score will not affect your future college admission at all; its purpose is to help you become familiar with the exam structure and content and understand the areas you need to improve. More and more high school students choose to take some SAT Subject Tests in grade 10 because some top universities require several SAT Subject Test scores as part of the application evaluation.

● If you have already taken AP subjects, you can also consider taking the AP exams. Good scores (4 or 5) may not only allow you to waive some credits or skip corresponding lower-level courses in college (at prestigious universities), but because they have a nationally unified standard, admissions officers can directly judge the potential learning ability of the applicant without considering the teaching and grading differences of various high schools.

● Start to become familiar with the requirements and content of the Common Application so that you can prepare the corresponding information in the next two years.

● If you have the opportunity, visit more universities and research university websites, paying special attention to the schools you are interested in.

● Expand the volume and content range of your English reading.

● Summer vacation is the best opportunity to enrich your experience and broaden your horizons. If you have the opportunity, you can participate in overseas courses or services organized by the school, or intern at a charity or company.

Grade 11

Planning and Taking Required College Exams

Grade 11 is the most colorful year of high school. At this stage, you should focus on the future, plan and take major college standardized tests based on your strengths and future development aspirations, refine the list of universities you need to apply to, and conduct in-depth analysis and research on the specific admission requirements of the schools (or departments).

● Autumn is the best season to take the PSAT. You can prepare for future SAT exams. If your scores are excellent enough, you can also be shortlisted for the "National Merit Scholarship" award. If you are lucky enough to win, you will earn your first tuition fee for college. More importantly, you will become one of the top 1% of high school graduates in the U.S., and this honor will also make your resume shine.

● Define your list of ideal universities. You, your parents, and your counselor should make a relatively realistic list based on important screening criteria (such as geographic location, size, tuition, number of students, scholarship ratio, major or special programs, career goals, etc.).

● Plan the time to take important college entrance exams in the next six months, such as SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, and AP exams, and mark them on your calendar to ensure you have enough time to prepare and can submit your scores before the college application deadline (sometimes you also need to consider taking them a second time). You can also take tutoring courses provided by companies like Princeton Review or Kaplan.

● Participation in extracurricular activities: College admissions officers want to see the continuity and depth of your participation in extracurricular activities, especially your leadership role in the organization.

● Research information on various scholarships or financial aid for universities.

● If you have a sports specialty and hope to become a member of the NCAA Division I or II leagues in your future college career and receive corresponding scholarships, you need to communicate with your counselor to see if you fully meet the NCAA requirements. Based on the application requirements of your ideal university, start identifying people who can provide you with letters of recommendation. The key is to find those who have a deep understanding of you and can actively demonstrate your strengths, such as your subject teachers, personal tutors, or your sports coaches, your community or volunteer activity leaders, and your internship company bosses, etc.

● Summer vacation is very important, so be sure to make good use of it. You can find a summer job or internship opportunity related to your major. Furthermore, visit the universities you are interested in applying to and contact the university admissions office for campus tours and interviews. If possible, get to know professors in your future field of study or coaches of sports programs.

● You can start drafting your Personal Statement and related Application Essays. This is the best platform to show your strengths and narrow the distance with the school, so don't ignore it. You can also make an in-depth self-analysis (SWOT Analysis) with the help of your parents, teachers, or application consultants to clearly understand your strengths and weaknesses.

● If you have the strength and confidence to participate in "Early Decision" or "Early Action" for relevant universities, be sure to send all application materials (including standardized test scores) before October or November. Of course, the premise is that you have a clear understanding of the pros and cons of these two early application methods.

Grade 12

Sprinting for U.S. Undergraduate Applications

Grade 12 is the final year of high school and should also be the most hardworking and busy year. You cannot relax your difficult coursework and various social extracurricular activities (especially if you are also in a leadership position), and you must allocate a lot of energy to prepare for all aspects of your college application.

● Visit universities you are interested in and communicate with current students and professors. You can also sit in on one or two classes to feel the student atmosphere and campus culture.

● Finalize the list of universities to apply to. Generally speaking, you should prepare three types of schools: Reach Schools, Match Schools, and Safety Schools.

● Take standardized tests (SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, and AP tests, etc.) to ensure your scores are sent to the universities you are applying to.

● Complete college application letters of recommendation. Send the corresponding recommendation letter forms and related documents to the recommending teachers and communicate deeply with them about your goals and career vision so that they can be well prepared.

● With the help of your guidance counselor, complete and send all college application materials, including transcripts, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores, personal statements and essays, and scholarship applications, etc. Ensure that all information is accurate.

● Your academic grades are still important, so strive to maintain good grades. At the same time, please ask your counselor to send your mid-year transcript to the universities you are applying to.

I hope the above is helpful to students who have already or are about to enroll in U.S. middle schools or international schools!

Nowadays, "young-age" study abroad has become a trend and has become a new normal educational choice in China. "Immigration first, study abroad later" is also gradually becoming the main motivation for many "young-age families" to choose to immigrate overseas. In terms of cost, it is more in line with the economic reality of young families; and the harvest is more than just high-quality overseas education.

If you have the idea of sending your children to the U.S. for high school or immigrating to the U.S. as a family, you need to act immediately. Prepare early, act early, plan early, and immigrate early to achieve a more ideal effect.

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