Alvin Carter, a senior admissions officer at U.S. News company CollegeAdvisor, shared insights recently. The responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
U.S. News: What should parents of rising juniors be doing now?
Alvin Carter: This is the year where the depth of involvement matters far more than a long list of clubs, so help your child identify two or three areas where they can truly lead or make a tangible impact.
- Data from the National Association for College Admission Counseling highlights that financial fit is now a top-tier concern for families, so you should have the money talk before touching any applications. Being transparent about what you can afford prevents heartbreak later.
- Another priority is looking at your student’s classes. You want to finalize a rigorous but manageable junior year course load where they are challenged but not so overwhelmed that their mental health suffers. This is also the time to cultivate relationships with teachers who will eventually write letters of recommendation. Encourage your child to participate actively in class and seek extra help not just for grades but to build that personal rapport.
U.S. News: Is there a template for parents starting the college conversation with their rising juniors?
Carter: Here’s a quick template to guide your first college chat:
- Ask what they want their high school legacy to be and how they want to build on that. It helps them see college as a growth phase, not just a finish line.
- Have them describe a dream day in their life. Are they at a huge stadium? In a quiet lab? Exploring a city?
- Sometimes it’s easier for teens to say what they don’t want. That makes finding what they do want easier.
- Ask how they want to be reminded of deadlines. Do they want a weekly Sunday check-in, or should you stay out of it unless they ask?
- Talk about the social scene. Do they want massive school spirit and Greek life, or a smaller, more niche community?
- Ask: ‘If you changed your major tomorrow, would you still love this school?’ It’s about finding a place that fits their whole personality, not just one career path.
- Chat about what kind of support they’ll need to thrive – whether that’s great mental health resources, career coaching or easy-to-find tutoring.
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U.S. News: Is there a ‘best practices’ model for getting your child to think about their essay?
Carter: The best way to spark an essay is to catch them in moments of reflection.
- Use the dinner table debrief where you talk about a time they failed at something and what they learned. The goal is to move them away from the hero narrative where they scored the winning goal and toward the growth narrative where they struggled with a perspective or a project.
- Encourage them to keep a note on their phone to jot down small quirky observations about their life that could serve as a unique hook.
- You can also ask your child to pick five core values from a list and then describe a specific moment where those values were tested or put into action.
- Another effective method is the exercise where they list 10 items in their room that tell a story about who they are and then explain why those items matter.
- A third option is the common ground method where you ask them to identify a topic they could talk about for 30 minutes straight without any preparation. This often reveals a hidden passion or intellectual curiosity that makes for a perfect personal statement.
The essay is the only part of the application where the student has total control, so the goal is to make the reader feel like they have actually met your child.
U.S. News: When should future applicants be done with standardized tests?
Carter: You should aim for your child to be one and done or at least finished with their primary testing by June of their junior year. Statistics from the College Board and ACT suggest that most students see their scores plateau after the third attempt.
- By finishing before senior year starts, they can dedicate the entire summer to supplemental essays, which are becoming even more critical in a test-optional world.
U.S. News: Is there a list of schools that track demonstrated interest? How should parents work demonstrated interest into their kids’ college search?
Carter: “Demonstrated interest” is really just a college’s way of guessing if you’ll actually show up if they accept you.
- If you want to see if a school cares about your “vibe,” check out the Common Data Set at commondataset.org. You can see the criteria schools may use for “Basis for Selection,” including an applicant’s level of interest. Searching online for Common Data Set and the school of interest should lead you to its specific data.
- If a school considers applicant interest “Very Important” (like at Syracuse or American University) or “Important” (like at Boston University or Tulane), you need to show some love. If you’re looking at Ivies or huge publics like the University of California schools, they usually mark it as “Not Considered,” so don’t sweat the small talk.
