The most popular type of major we hear about when talking to students is STEM. We are, to be clear, passionate advocates for the humanities, but we understand the allure of STEM fields. Not only are the subjects within STEM fascinating, but they also tend to have clear career trajectories that pay well. Chemistry is, however, not the most common prospective major for high school juniors.

Exposure to chemistry tends to be pretty limited in high school beyond the mandatory introductory class and, maybe, an AP or advanced chemistry course. The built-in extracurricular options at school are also more limited when compared to fields like computer science, robotics, or engineering. This can make it harder for a chemistry-focused student to stand out on their college applications when compared to students interested in other areas of STEM. In this post, we are going to address that head on by giving you the four things you need to be doing now as a junior to strengthen your applications and improve your chances of getting into a dream school.

Remember, you’ll be submitting your applications in just a few months. It may still seem far away, but it is coming up super quickly. The window of opportunity for making big moves is closing. So, you need to act.

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Chemistry may have been your passion since grade school, or maybe you just realized last week that you want to make chemistry your focus. Either way, there are things you need to be doing outside of the classroom to show colleges that you are committed to this path — and can perform at a high level at it. Some of these you may have already started, but simply doing it isn’t enough. You need to lean in, so let’s break it down.

STEM CLUB

First, you need to be a member of a STEM-focused club. If it is chemistry-specific, awesome, but don’t limit yourself to clubs that are focused on chemistry. Joining isn’t enough, either. If you are already a member of a STEM club, you aren’t done. What we want to see is leadership. Ideally, it’s becoming the head of the club for senior year. If that isn’t possible, or is unlikely, though, you need to get creative. Schedule a meeting with current club leadership and the faculty advisor to discuss ways that you can support them in their goals, while also getting a title for your efforts. For example, you could lead an initiative, plan an event, or head a committee. These types of roles are things that you can emphasize in your applications and illustrate your leadership and teamwork capabilities.  

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD OR QUIZ BOWL

In addition to being part of a STEM club, you need to join (or further commit to) a Science Olympiad or Quiz Bowl team. These give you the opportunity to dig deeper into chemistry than is taught in school, and earn recognition for your work. Showing that you are good under pressure and a team player will strengthen your character alongside your applications, and you may even get some ideas here for something to explore on your own.

But what if your school has neither a STEM club nor a Science Olympiad or Quiz Bowl team? If you are in the first half of your junior year, you should start one today. Recruit a faculty advisor, pull some friends together, and talk to your school administration about how to make it official. If you are in the second half of your junior year, though, the timeline is tough. Instead of starting a club, and possibly having trouble accomplishing much of anything before you press submit on your college applications, we advise that you look out into your community for opportunities you can plug into. Honestly, this is a good thing to do regardless, so let’s make it a section.

STEM-ORIENTED SERVICE

If your town or city has a library, which it almost certainly does, it likely has afterschool or weekend programming themed around STEM subjects. The elementary school, too, likely has something like a robotics club or science club. Tap into these as a volunteer, and embrace the opportunity to mentor younger students in the subjects that you love. Colleges want to see continuity, so aim to spend at least two afternoons a month at the program and to continue this from today through till graduation.

RESEARCH

Participating in independent research as a high school student is a great way to stand out for colleges, but it has to be legit. Simply messing around after school and not taking your work anywhere does not mean much. The goal, ultimately, needs to be publication in a reputable journal open to high schoolers, or presentation at a science fair or competition.

If you are already doing research, keep pushing. Instead of starting a whole new project, dive more deeply into the niche you’re already inhabiting. There isn’t a ton of space on applications for research, and it’s easier to tell one super compelling research than to try to cram two into the mix. If you haven’t done any research, though, you’ll need to get creative. Again, we are in crunch time. However, there are a few options. For one, you could join someone else in supporting a project they have already going on. Maybe your specific chemistry interests could augment what they are doing? Another option is to switch up when the final product might be. For example, maybe instead of conducting original research you report on research for your school paper, writing articles that inform your community about game changing scientific developments. While it isn’t your own research, it does show curiosity, independent exploration, and written communication skills, all of which are good things to emphasize on an application.

But if you really want to get a research project of your own in under the wire, let us know. We can help you pull it off, even on a tight timeline.

INTERNSHIPS

Possibly the most important thing for you to do as a junior interested in chemistry is to get some sort of related internship before the beginning of your senior year. This can be related to the research you are pursuing, be with a local scientific or tech company, be found through a friend or family member, or all of the above.  

When we work with students to secure internships, we prioritize time and match. The company you are interning with has to match with what you are into. If there is no match, there isn’t really much of a point spending your precious time as a junior on it. You also need to dedicate a significant amount of time to the internship, definitely more than a week. This will allow you to develop experiences that are truly meaningful, and that lead to stories that make an impact on your application.  

It's important, though, to remember that having an internship experience is more important than waiting for the perfect internship. Even if it isn’t ideal, it can build towards another opportunity. So, seize what you can find that is a fit.

As a junior, every moment you have left before submitting your college applications is precious. Using your time outside of class to amplify your extracurriculars and create stories is crucial. We support students through this process of discovery, expression, and experience, guiding them towards their dream schools.

Let’s make junior year a gamechanger for your college application experience. Work with us.