Year-by-Year Academic Success Guide

Whether your plans after your undergraduate degree include employment or continuing on to graduate or professional school, you should take full advantage of your college years. Here are some suggestions for living college life to its fullest.

Freshman Year: Your primary goal should be to get involved in campus life, especially in your chosen academic field.

•    Plan and take a diverse group of courses, utilize core curriculum and electives, include writing courses, look ahead to plan curriculum and use Honors courses to your full advantage.
•    Look for opportunities to improve your speaking skills.
•    Get involved in research.
•    Start researching possible internships or volunteer programs.
•    Get involved in student organizations.
•    Get involved in community service projects.
•    Attend University Honors Program and Common Experience functions.

Summer Activities

•    Intern or participate in a volunteer program.
•    Write a personal statement.
•    Start a resume of activities.
•    Study abroad.

Sophomore Year: Your primary goal is to find an area of research and a mentor to guide your eventual thesis research.

•    Ask University Honors staff to read your personal statement and discuss what scholarships and internships you should be working toward.
•    Continue taking a diverse group of courses; utilize core curriculum and electives, including writing courses.
•    Read outside of class.
•    Look for opportunities to improve your speaking skills.
•    Continue involvement in research.
•    Continue researching or apply for possible internships or volunteer programs.
•    Continue involvement in student organizations, run for/hold leadership positions, start an organization if there is not one that fits your interests.
•    Continue involvement in community service projects.
•    Revise personal statement and/or issue statement for Truman application.
•    Attend University Honors Program functions.
•    Revise résumé of activities.
•    Study abroad.

Summer Activities

•    Intern or participate in volunteer programs.
•    Learn about the Texas State Career Center.
•    Finalize issue statement for Truman application or research plan for other scholarships.
•    Study abroad.

Junior Year: This is a key year for college students who want to continue on to graduate school. Most key scholarships and graduate school applications are due during the fall of your senior year, so this is the year to get the bulk of your work done. Some award applications and graduate school applications are even due even earlier, in the spring of your junior year.

•    At this point, many of your courses are in your major field of study. The honors class-by-contract may be a great way to establish a stronger relationship with faculty and earn the last of your hours toward graduating with honors.
•    Read outside of class.
•    Look for opportunities to improve speaking skills, especially by presenting a paper at a local, regional or national conference. (NCHC, NCUR or discipline based conferences.)
•    Continue involvement in research.
•    Continue researching or apply for possible internships or volunteer programs.
•    Continue involvement in student organizations and continue to seek out both formal and informal leadership positions.  Mentor junior students in these organizations.
•    Continue involvement in community service projects.
•    Revise your personal statement and work on plan for post-graduate work. For example, if you are applying for a Fulbright, you need to have a research plan finalized by the end of your junior year.
•    Revise résumé of activities.
•    Study abroad.

Summer Activities

•    Intern or participate in volunteer programs.
•    Revise résumé and/or personal essays for applications to graduate school.
•    Research graduate school options and make timeline of deadlines to apply for programs.
•    Contact faculty to request availability and willingness to write letters of recommendation.
•    Study abroad.

Senior Year: During the fall, apply for graduate school, professional school, employment and national scholarships.

•    Try to participate in professional activities in your field of study, whether by attending a conference, doing volunteer work or working at an internship. (NCHC, NCUR or discipline based conferences.)
•    Apply to several graduate school programs.  (Discuss options with advisors in your field of study.)
•    Minority students may be able to use Project 1000 to enable them to apply to more graduate schools easily.