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What to do now

Map out your four year plan. Make sure to meet with your school counselor early in order to understand graduation requirements, how GPA is calculated, and which classes will eventually lead to AP, IB, and Honors classes later on.

Ensure your classes align with your four year plan, as your 9th grade schedule is what sets up your academic foundation. Colleges value students who take advantage of opportunities at their school, but balance is extremely important. Strong performance in well-chosen classes is more important than overextending too early.

By 9th grade, most people have an idea of what they are passionate about, and what they like doing. Don't be afraid to go deep and explore those interests. Look for more opportunities like clubs at your school, or community service. On that note, 9th grade is also a great time to start a passion project, specifically one that aligns with your core values, excites you, and is on a topic that you are genuinely passionate about.

If you haven't found that yet, that's okay too — the right project usually reveals itself once you're a little deeper into something you already enjoy, and 9th grade is still early enough to keep exploring while you look for it.

What most people get wrong

Freshman year. Everyone is exploring their extracurricular options, and joining eight clubs when in reality, this should have happened as early as 7th grade. 9th grade is the year you center on one or two passion-driven extracurriculars, clubs, or sports, and show commitment by doing them all throughout high school.

That said, if you're still figuring out what you like, you're not behind. It's better to spend 9th grade finding your thing than to fake commitment to something you don't actually care about.

What counts

9th grade is the first year of grades colleges will actually see, so it's not the year to slack off. Although your freshman year grades are not the most important, they can determine whether you can take Honors, IB, and AP classes later on, in addition to most universities using them to calculate your overall high school grade point average (GPA).

However, if you do have a rough freshman year, colleges do notice if you improve. A rough start in 9th grade can be easily forgiven if you show steady progress and do well in later years. Besides, struggling now can help you later on in harder 10th and 11th grade classes, as you can review your mistakes and identify what about your time management and study habits wasn't working for you, then adjust accordingly.

Tests and deadlines

Some schools give the PSAT 8/9. Just practice, and colleges never see the score.