Unfortunately, our current education system has some (or many) issues. One of which is the poor advocacy that is common among administrators and counselors. Instead of challenging students to do their best year to year, they tend to take the unchallenging route of ensuring as many students get A’s as possible. Academic advising navigates through this current system of striving for mediocrity by putting the student’s best interest first.

With today’s college competitiveness, every little decision is scrutinized. Therefore, decision-making is paramount. Having a four-year high school plan in hand—meaning the student is starting in middle school— ensures that the road is clear, that there is a blueprint, and that a cohesive plan, not merely for academic development but also personal development, is accounted for. Trusting a high school to do this on your behalf is a critical mistake. Having a four-year plan makes students significantly more competitive for college. More importantly, it significantly increases the likelihood of realizing their potential.

The issue with starting junior year is that more than half of your high school career is over. All we can do at that point is react to what’s been done and try to close strong— we are significantly disadvantaged from this standpoint. If you think of K-12 as a lifetime, juniors are senior citizens. In order to advise, and develop, a student properly, we/they need to have the time to do so. One’s high school profile is a four-year body of work: it is ideal to be able to impact the totality of it. Lastly, it is important to know that all four years count equally and each summer is judged for activity and productivity.