“Dear Arden, My junior conference is coming up soon and I have no idea what to expect. How should I prepare?”

-Jittery Junior

Dear Jittery,

The first thing you need to know about your junior conference is that it exists to help you prepare for next year. It is not meant to be intimidating, so just relax. You don’t have to have everything figured out right now.

That being said, if you’re concerned about it, there are a couple of things you can do.

First, work on making a list of potential colleges. I don’t know if it’s the same as when I did my junior conference, but we were required to make a list in Naviance so our counselors could get an idea of which ones we were considering. You can make this list as long as you want – it is by no means set in stone and you don’t have to apply to any of them later on, but it is good to start considering where you may want to go and even what you want to do when you get there.

Second, start thinking about your schedule for next year. Your junior conference is actually going to be pretty helpful with this because you will get the chance to ask your counselor about which classes you should take. Once again, none of these classes are set in stone, but it will give your counselor an idea of what your schedule will look like and might help you make some decisions.

Third, write down any questions you have for your counselor about preparing to apply for colleges or any other things you’re worried about for next year. This is your opportunity to get help from a professional, so take it.

After you’ve done these three things, you’ll be ready to meet with your counselor. Once again, this meeting is there to help you, not hurt you. It’s really just a matter of helping you a little and helping you a lot, and the best way to get the most help possible is by considering colleges and classes and asking questions so that your counselor can give you the most specific advice possible.

Relax, you’ve got this,

Arden

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