Updated: Friday, September 5, 2025
By Tasha, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor
It can take some students time to mature and realize their college ambitions — even a year or two after starting high school. As a result, they get a late start building a strong student profile for college admissions.
If this sounds like you, don’t lose hope — even late starters can turn it around. By taking stock of where you are, focusing on key improvements, building a strong application story, staying motivated, and looking forward, you can still set yourself on a path of successful college prep.
In this complex college admissions landscape, it may seem that everyone around you has always been a competitive student. But that isn’t necessarily the case. Sometimes, students get off to a slow start. For those students, it can be easy to get discouraged. But now is the moment to recognize it’s not too late.
Colleges have always valued growth and resilience in a student’s profile. For example, a student demonstrates resilience and maturity if they started slowly but then excelled consistently later in high school. Pushing yourself to do better is no easy task, and colleges recognize and value this.
So, if you consider yourself a late starter, ask yourself: What can I do now? If you can demonstrate growth, resilience, and a mindset shift, you can improve your profile for college admissions.
If you’re a sophomore or a junior, you have time to focus on academic improvement and creating a pointy profile. What do I mean by “pointy?” I mean that you can focus on and become a specialist in your area of interest — choosing classes and participating in meaningful extracurriculars related to this interest. Colleges want to build a well-rounded class of specialists, so demonstrating that you have knowledge and skills in a particular area will significantly improve your profile.
If you’re a senior, you may have less time to improve your overall high school performance, but you do have time to show a significant shift. Earning strong grades during your senior year demonstrates maturity and an improved work ethic. However, it’s important to stay engaged and focused — don’t give in to senioritis!
If you’re ready to improve your profile and prepare to become a competitive college applicant, it’s time to take stock of where you are by reviewing where you stand with your academics, extracurriculars, test prep, and other initiatives. Once you have considered each of these factors, it’s a good idea to meet with a counselor to create a realistic action plan. A counselor can help you break down your ambitions into a tangible step-by-step process.
Start reviewing your transcripts, GPA, and the courses you’ve taken so far throughout high school. Where do you have room for growth? What are your academic strengths and what are your weaknesses?
If you have a relatively strong GPA, what are the academic areas that have weakened your GPA? Find out if there are academic enrichment opportunities at your school to improve in the subjects that have been the biggest challenges for you. You can also find academic enrichment beyond the classroom, such as independent research projects, online courses, and outside reading, which will help you improve in those areas and give a boost to your college admissions profile.
When reviewing your course history, ask yourself if you have been challenged sufficiently in the subjects you consider your strengths. Are there subjects that you could highlight by increasing your level of rigor — taking a more advanced class or an additional elective? This is your opportunity to take your college applicant profile to the next level by focusing on your strengths.
In addition to identifying your academic strengths and weaknesses, this is also your opportunity to identify academic gaps. Are there inconsistencies in your foreign language history, for example? Maybe you can take courses outside of school or at a community college to demonstrate a continued commitment to that language. Whatever your academic gap, you can fill them in creative ways.
If you have yet to take a standardized test or are hoping to improve previous scores, consider what you have time for. Take stock of your timeline and resources and make a plan. Keep in mind that plenty of colleges are test optional or even test blind, so a strong test score isn’t necessary to get into college. However, it’s in your best interest to submit a good score anyway, so make the time for test prep and take either the SAT or ACT if you can.
This is also time to take stock of your extracurricular history. Colleges like to see consistency and depth in your extracurriculars. But, if you’re a late starter and you cannot show consistency, it’s never too late to show depth. Are you a member of a club where there’s still time to take on a leadership position? Are you involved in an activity where you can take on a new self-directed initiative? Consider what there’s time for and how you can take ownership of an extracurricular interest to deepen your level of involvement in a way that is in line with your profile.
Late starters can do a lot to improve their academic profiles but, ultimately, they cannot go back in time. This is why it’s important to focus on what you can still control, both academically and extracurricularly. Here are my tips:
Now that you’ve taken stock of where you are and how you can focus on key improvements, it’s time to start building a strong application story. Remember, the qualitative portions of your applications, like your personal statement and supplemental essays, are opportunities to give context and tell your story. This is where you can highlight upward trends and illustrate how you’ve grown as a student.
Your personal statement and supplements present opportunities to demonstrate your personal growth and determination. It’s a great idea to work with a counselor on your essays, from brainstorming to final edits, to ensure you tell a cohesive and compelling narrative.
You can also improve your application story by getting excellent recommendation letters from teachers who can speak to your progress, growth, and resilience. Another part of your application will be your activities list, so think about how you make an impact both inside and outside of the classroom, whether you do community service, handle family responsibilities, or work a part-time job.
Now that you have some concrete steps to take to prepare for college as a late starter, it’s time to maintain your momentum. Set short-term goals to achieve each step and track your progress. You can’t do everything in one day, but you can do something every day to achieve your short-term college prep goals.
As you improve your grades or work toward your standardized testing goals, remember to celebrate small wins. This can help you stay motivated.
Finally, remember that your efforts now can open doors later. Diving into an extracurricular that you’re passionate about or challenging yourself in an academic subject that you excel in will help improve your overall profile and influence your success well into the future.
An IvyWise counselor is an excellent resource for all students, including late starters. At IvyWise, we help students review their options based on their individual situations, school offerings, and goals to identify areas for growth and opportunities for improvement. Contact us today to learn how we can help you build a strong application story that highlights your growth, resilience, and commitment to your future.
While college may feel like a distant challenge on the horizon, it’s important for high school students to choose their classes carefully to begin preparing for their next academic milestone. Admissions officers will review the courses students take from their first year of high school onwards, which is why it’s crucial to be selective about the classes you’re taking to ensure they align with your long-term goals.
If you already know what field you want to study in college, or even have a general idea of your preferred discipline, taking some high school classes that align with your future college curriculum can save a lot of time and energy. But how do you know which high school classes will set you up for success in college?
Whether you’re working with your school-based college counselor, an independent college admissions consultant, or both during your college admissions journey, there’s one thing that you can’t afford to do, and that’s miss opportunities to tap the knowledge and resources of the staff and teachers at your school.
Amidst the whirlwind of classes, extracurricular activities, and social dynamics, high school counselors play a crucial role in supporting students. They are not just there to help with academic planning and college applications — they also provide guidance on personal and social issues, helping students develop the skills they need to succeed in school and life.
