Help! My Junior isn’t motivated to get started!
First of all, this is totally normal! Junior year is the most challenging academically. Add in a global pandemic and motivation is hard to find in anyone. The college process feels overwhelming and it is the last thing juniors want to do as soon as they take their last final. But waiting to start the process until school starts again will add to their workload in the fall and take away time from all the fun things that make up senior year. Here are a few tips to ease them into the process:
Start by visiting a college campus that will most likely be on their list. College campuses are currently at varying degrees of openness, but many will start to open once students leave campus for the summer. It is obviously ideal to see college campuses active with students, but given the pandemic, any visit is better than none! Plan to see areas of campus beyond dorms and classrooms where your student’s interests and activities would take place. Getting them excited for college is the key to getting them motivated!
Figure out the roadblocks and work together to remove them. Have a relaxed conversation about what might be holding them back and see what roadblocks you can remove (the best time is in the car, when you are both facing forwards!) Many times lack of motivation is a disguise for fear or uncertainty. Students know they have to put their best foot forward on college applications, but they might not be sure what their best foot is! Consider having them do some fun personality or interest inventories to help them figure out what they have to offer and what they might be looking for in a college. Knowing these elements will give the process some structure.
Remind them that they are more their numbers. There is likely lots of discussion about test scores and grades among their peers, which can cause quite a bit of anxiety. Many colleges do a holistic review of a student’s application that goes beyond the facts and figures, which means the they are looking at the kind of person they are in addition to their academics. There are about 2400 colleges in the US - there is a college out there that will be a great fit for every student! Finding the right one is the fun part.
Break up the process into small tasks. There are a lot of steps to the application process, so anything you can do to help them break down larger tasks into smaller ones and set reasonable deadlines helps them to see small bits at a time, instead of the overwhelm of “getting your applications done.” Using the downtime in summer to get started with any of the process will make senior year more enjoyable as well.
Show them how far they’ve come. Take a look at their 8th grade graduation photo together - this will remind them how far they’ve come in the last three years. Personal growth and discovery is even more exponential during their senior year. The college application process facilitates this personal discovery and sets them up with the confidence to move on to their next phase of life.
Right Course College Consulting is happy to help you with any of the above. Just give us a shout!
