High school is a rite of passage into adulthood that ushers in a time of growth and self-exploration. Freshman year will be the start of this journey and play such an important role in the college admission process.

However, with these new changes come unique challenges that many incoming students are not prepared for and unfortunately struggle with as freshmen.

In this article, you’ll learn why freshman year is the “make-it-or-break-it year” in the college admission process and strategies you can implement to ensure a strong start.

Related: Check out these articles to learn why junior and senior year are uniquely important in the college admission process.

What makes freshman year difficult?

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Overview:

• Navigating a new social environment
• Academic pressures
• Less individual support
• Newfound autonomy
• Puberty (raging hormones)
• Existential dread

The transition from middle school to high school is challenging for a number of reasons.

Many incoming students find the new social environment, formation of cliques, back-stabbing gossip, and juvenile politics overwhelming and much different from what they’re used to.

Others also feel suffocated by the academic pressure as classes are significantly more difficult and require a longer time commitment. All this while juggling multiple extracurriculars at the same time.

Additionally, students are expected to act like adults and are thus given considerably less individual support and more autonomy so those who fail to manage their time effectively often fall behind. This means students only have two choices: sink or swim.

And you can’t talk about adolescence without also mentioning puberty and the existential dread many of these teens experience. High school is the time when they are still trying to figure out who they are as a person, the value they want to bring into the world, and their place in it.

Why freshman year is so important

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Overview:

1. Freshman year is the make-it-or-break-it year
2. Freshman grades make up a third of your GPA
3. How you do in your classes now will determine what classes you take in the future
4. Colleges look for sustained involvement in extracurriculars throughout high school, which starts during your freshman year

Reason #1: Freshman year is the make-it-or-break-it year

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Freshman year matters because how you do can spell the difference between attending college or not.

Research has found ninth grade to be a reliable predictor of junior year grades, high school graduation, and college enrollment.

Specifically, freshmen who receive more than one failing grade per term (semester/quarter) are more likely to drop out of high school and forgo college plans.

EducationWeek notes, “When students experience a rough freshman year of high school, they usually don’t recover from it.”

And these reasons are precisely why freshman year is considered the “make-it-or-break-it” year.

Reason #2: Freshman grades make up a third of your GPA

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In most cases, colleges will not be able to see your senior year grades due to the timing of application deadlines. 

This means your overall GPA reviewed by colleges at the time of submission will only be based on your freshman, sophomore, and junior year grades.

Therefore, it is imperative that you start high school with your best foot forward.

Reason #3: How you do in your classes now will determine what classes you take in the future

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Your freshman year performance will set the tone for your remaining years in high school because it will affect what classes you take later on.

Each subsequent year will draw upon the knowledge and skills you developed in previous years, especially prerequisite classes from freshman and sophomore year.

Note: This also applies to work and extracurriculars but their next steps are not pre-determined like classes are.

Here are common sequences:

• Math: Algebra > Geometry > Trigonometry > Pre-Calculus > AP Calculus (AB/BC)
• Language: Spanish I > Spanish II > Spanish III > Spanish IV/AP Spanish
• Sports: Frosh/Soph > Junior Varsity (JV) > Varsity
• Clubs: Member > Officer > President
• Internship: Intern > Paid intern/Employee > Coordinator
• Work: Employee > Manager > Supervisor

Failing critical classes, for example, will force you to retake them in the summer or complete remedial classes the following year, which has the potential to seriously sideline your college plans.

On the other hand, if you excelled in those classes, you will have the foundational skills to succeed in those subjects the following year and be on track to take more difficult classes that will impress admission officers. 

Keep in mind that the prerequisite/introductory classes you take now will be the easiest classes you will ever take during your four years of high school so now is the best time to get ahead!

Reason #4: Colleges look for sustained involvement in extracurriculars throughout high school, which starts during your freshman year

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Besides strong academics, colleges love nothing more than sustained involvement in extracurriculars because consistency breeds clarity.

This means the longer you commit to an activity, the clearer your interests become to admissions officers, especially if your extracurriculars are related to your intended major, have personal relevance, and unite under one narrative.

Here’s a perfect (hypothetical) example:

• Intended major: Engineering/Computer science
• Extracurricular #1: Engineering intern at PG&E (2 yrs)
• Extracurricular #2: Blogger of “Women in STEM” (3 yrs)
• Extracurricular #3: Math Olympiad finalist (4 yrs)
• Extracurricular #4: Published a book titled “Why Diversity in STEM Matters” (4 yrs)

• Narrative (story): “My goal is to become an engineer because of [inspiring event].”
• Personal relevance: “I will be the first in my family to receive a college education and I want to show my younger sister that there is a place in STEM for women like us and anything is possible with hard work.”

This is a great example because there is a strong connection between the extracurriculars, intended major, narrative, and personal relevance. Together, they describe a personal story of who you are as a person and what your motivations for pursuing a college education are.

Colleges don’t like applicants who flip flop too much throughout high school. However, they do understand that it is a time of new changes so they tend to be more forgiving of an “inactive” freshman year but you must hit the ground running by sophomore year.

What you can do

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Overview:

• Understand that you’re allowed to make mistakes in the pursuit of learning
• Use your freshman year to pursue activities that genuinely interest you
• Demonstrate sustained involvement in your extracurriculars (2 or more years)
• Develop effective time management skills
• Take advantage of free learning resources
• Practice self-care

In light of worrying research, there are still a few things you can do to ensure a productive and meaningful first year that will set you up for success in future years.

First, understand that ninth grade is a time of exploration and growth, but to do so in earnest you must give yourself permission to fail and make mistakes (and learn from them!).

We’re all human and we all make mistakes. And by extension, they are valuable learning opportunities.

It is important that you know this because so many students arrive with tunnel vision and unrealistic expectations that they are unable to cope when they do fail since it wasn’t part of their calculus.

Colleges don’t expect you to be “perfect” but rather they are interested in how you respond to setbacks/failures and your resilience to overcome them.

Second, use your freshman year to pursue your interests and refine them along the way (have a shortlist of extracurriculars by sophomore year). Demonstrate sustained involvement in these activities for at least 2 years (ideally 3-4 years).

Third, use this relatively easier year as an opportunity to get ahead by excelling in your prerequisite classes. You can do so by developing effective time management skills and utilizing free online resources for subjects you typically struggle in.

Types of free learning resources:

• YouTube (lectures, how-to’s)
• Websites (handouts, slides, practice tests/assignments)
• Mobile apps (test prep, cheat sheet)
• Podcasts (interesting topic discussion)
• Afterschool programs (tutoring)

Above all else, practice self-care. High school will challenge and push you out of your comfort zone so it’s crucial that you take frequent breaks and reward yourself for your hard work (remember to celebrate the small victories).

Helpful Resources

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1. “Studying 101: Study Smarter Not Harder”
2. “Time Management Tips for Busy College Students”
3. “Top 12 Time-Management Tips”
4. “Tips for Overcoming Procrastination in College”
5. “How to Stop Procrastinating: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need”
6. “How to Find Your Passion: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself”
7. “Want to Improve Your College Apps? Read This.”
8. “6 Reasons It’s Okay To Fail”