Tyler Brooks's Plan

01 Academic Profile Analysis

Tyler, your current 3.70 GPA indicates that you are performing well in your classes, but without additional context it is difficult for colleges—or even for a counselor—to fully understand what that number represents. GPA alone never tells the full story. Admissions readers almost always evaluate grades alongside the difficulty of the courses you chose and how your academic challenge increased over time.

Right now, you have not provided information about your course rigor or transcript details. That means it is unclear whether your classes include honors, Advanced Placement (AP), or other accelerated options offered at your high school. Because of this missing context, the meaning of the 3.70 GPA is harder to interpret. A 3.70 earned in highly challenging courses can demonstrate strong academic initiative, while a similar GPA in less demanding coursework might raise questions about whether a student pushed themselves academically.

Adding clarity around your coursework will be one of the most important steps in understanding—and strengthening—your academic profile over the next few years.

Why Course Context Matters

Colleges rarely look at GPA as a single number. Instead, they read your full transcript, which shows:

• The types of classes you chose each year
• Whether you pursued advanced or honors-level coursework when available
• Your grade patterns over time
• How your course choices compare with what your school offers

Because you have not yet provided this information, one of the first steps in refining your academic strategy will be to gather and review your transcript. If your school offers multiple course levels, admissions readers typically want to see that students gradually take on more challenging work as they progress through high school.

Since you are currently a 9th grader, you are in an ideal position to shape that trajectory early.

The GPA and Test Score Combination

Your academic record includes an interesting combination: a 3.70 GPA paired with a 1520 SAT. That SAT score is extremely strong, especially for a student early in high school. When colleges see a testing result like that alongside a GPA that is somewhat lower, it naturally leads to a few questions about the academic context.

Admissions readers might wonder things like:

• Are your classes particularly rigorous?
• Does your high school use a challenging grading scale?
• Did certain subjects or semesters bring your GPA down?
• Are you still adjusting to high school expectations?

None of these questions are negative by themselves. They simply mean that more academic context will help your profile make sense. The transcript and course descriptions you eventually provide will answer most of those questions automatically.

It’s also worth remembering that freshman-year grades are only the starting point of your academic story. Colleges focus heavily on how students grow across all four years.

Building a Strong Academic Trajectory

The most important academic goal for the next several years is not chasing a perfect number—it is building a clear upward trajectory in both grades and course rigor. Admissions readers like to see students who gradually challenge themselves more as they gain confidence in high school.

A healthy academic progression often looks something like this:

If your high school offers honors, AP, dual enrollment, or other advanced coursework, you may want to gradually increase your participation in those options over time. The key word is gradually—you want to challenge yourself without overwhelming your schedule.

Because you are currently undecided about your future major, this exploration can also happen through your academic choices. Trying different subjects at a deeper level—science, humanities, math, social science, technology—can help you discover which areas naturally spark your curiosity.

Information Still Missing from Your Academic Profile

Several pieces of academic information have not yet been provided. Adding these will allow your academic plan to become much more specific and helpful:

• Your full transcript or a list of courses taken in 9th grade
• Whether your school offers honors, AP, IB, or dual enrollment courses
• Your planned 10th-grade course schedule if available
• Your school’s grading scale (weighted or unweighted GPA)

Once that information is available, it becomes possible to evaluate how challenging your coursework is relative to what your school provides and suggest thoughtful ways to increase academic depth in the coming years.

Academic Positioning for Your Target Universities

Your current college list includes the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University–Fort Collins. Both universities review applicants with close attention to the academic record developed throughout high school. In practice, this means they will be looking closely at:

• Your grades across core academic subjects
• The difficulty of the classes you selected
• Whether your course rigor increased over time
• Consistency and improvement from year to year

Because you still have three full years of high school ahead, you have plenty of time to shape a transcript that reflects curiosity, steady effort, and intellectual exploration.

Freshman-Year Focus: Learning How You Learn

The biggest academic priority right now is developing the habits that will support you for the rest of high school. That includes things like:

• Finding study systems that work for you
• Managing time between classes and activities
• Asking questions when concepts are confusing
• Exploring subjects that genuinely interest you

Freshman year is the perfect time to experiment with how you approach learning. Some students discover they understand material best through practice problems, others through discussion, others through teaching concepts to friends. The more you understand your own learning style now, the easier it becomes to handle challenging courses later.

What to Do Next

Over the next year, focus on two simple academic priorities:

• Keep your grades strong while continuing to build solid academic habits.
• Explore more challenging classes gradually if your school offers them and if they fit comfortably into your schedule.

Once we have more details about your transcript and course options, we can build a clearer academic roadmap for sophomore and junior year. For now, the most important thing is staying curious, trying new subjects, and continuing to grow as a learner.

You’re still at the very beginning of your high school journey, Tyler. The choices you make over the next few years—what you study, how you challenge yourself, and what subjects excite you—will naturally shape the academic story you bring with you when it’s time to apply to college.

13 Archetype Gap Analysis

Admissions readers often recognize patterns in student profiles. Over time, certain “archetypes” appear repeatedly—distinct ways students demonstrate curiosity, initiative, and sustained interests. These archetypes are not rigid categories, and students often blend more than one. But understanding where your current profile fits can help clarify what parts of your story are already visible and which parts have not yet emerged.

Right now, the information you have provided suggests that your profile most closely fits what might be called a Curious Explorer archetype. This is very common—and very healthy—for a freshman. Students in this stage are trying different things, discovering what genuinely interests them, and gradually shaping a direction. However, when admissions readers evaluate applicants later in high school, they often look for evidence that exploration eventually turned into a deeper pursuit or theme.

The committee reviewing your profile noted that the main gap is not academic ability. With a 3.70 GPA and a 1520 SAT, your academic foundation is already strong for your grade level. The current gap is that there is not yet a visible thread connecting your interests into a recognizable direction—especially one that blends technology and creativity, which could be a particularly compelling path at schools like the University of Colorado Boulder.

Another important limitation: you have not provided any extracurricular activities, projects, competitions, or creative work yet. Because of that, admissions readers would currently see a transcript and test score but very little evidence of how you spend time outside class. This creates a large “unknown” area in the archetype map below.

The 13 Admissions Archetypes

The table below shows common archetypes seen in strong applicants. The “Current Visibility” column reflects what an admissions reader could reasonably infer from the information you have shared so far. Because many activity details are missing, several areas are marked as unknown.

What Admissions Readers Would Currently See

If an admissions officer at the University of Colorado Boulder or Colorado State University looked only at the information currently available, they would likely see:

• A student with strong academic potential.
• An undecided major and limited information about interests.
• No clear long‑term pursuit yet connecting academics with real‑world curiosity.

For a 9th grader, that situation is completely normal. Most students your age have not yet discovered the interests that will eventually shape their activities. The key shift over the next few years is that exploration gradually turns into patterns. Admissions readers begin to notice recurring questions a student is trying to answer or problems they keep coming back to.

Why the “Theme Gap” Matters

The committee highlighted one specific strategic gap: the absence of a theme that connects technology and creativity. Schools like CU Boulder tend to attract students who enjoy building, designing, experimenting, and working on real problems. When those interests combine technical thinking with creative expression, the student’s story becomes easier to understand.

Right now, your profile does not yet signal any particular domain:

• No visible technical projects
• No creative portfolio
• No research or investigation area
• No leadership or community initiative

This does not mean those things are missing from your life—it simply means you have not provided them yet. From an admissions perspective, that lack of information makes it difficult to see how your curiosity translates into action.

Position Relative to Typical High School Development

At the freshman stage, most students fall into one of three patterns:

• Explorers – trying many activities and discovering interests.
• Early Specialists – already focused on one domain (robotics, music, research).
• Academic Achievers – strong grades and test scores but fewer visible projects.

Your profile currently appears closest to the Explorer + Academic Achiever combination. That is a perfectly reasonable place to start. Over the next three years, the most compelling growth path is for exploration to gradually evolve into one or two areas where you invest deeper time and creativity.

What This Means for Your Next Few Years

The key takeaway from this archetype analysis is simple: you are early in the discovery phase. Your academic indicators show that you have the ability to succeed in challenging environments. What is still forming is the story of your curiosity.

For the rest of high school, admissions readers will be watching for signals such as:

• What kinds of problems you like solving
• Whether you enjoy building, researching, designing, or organizing
• How your interests evolve across multiple years
• Whether your activities begin to connect into a recognizable theme

By the time you reach junior and senior year, a strong profile usually shows one or two archetypes becoming clearly visible—such as builder, researcher, community organizer, or creative technologist. Right now, your job is not to force that identity but to experiment widely until something genuinely excites you enough to pursue deeply.

The good news is that you have time. Starting this process in 9th grade gives you several years to explore different archetypes and discover which ones actually feel fun, challenging, and meaningful to you.

06 Portfolio Building

Tyler, one of the most promising signals in your profile so far is that you’ve already produced real creative work. Winning a school photography contest means you’re not just interested in visuals—you’ve created something that stood out to others. For a freshman, that kind of tangible output is valuable because it gives you a starting point for a portfolio that can grow throughout high school.

Right now, your portfolio does not need to be large or polished. Think of it as a living collection of things you make. Over the next few years, the goal is to gradually organize your work so it tells a story about how your creativity evolves. This isn’t about building something “for admissions.” It’s about documenting your curiosity and the skills you experiment with.

Because you’ve already demonstrated strength in photography, that medium can become the anchor of your portfolio while you explore other creative or digital tools alongside it.

Start With a Photography Core

Your contest-winning photo is an ideal place to begin. A strong portfolio often grows from a small set of meaningful pieces rather than dozens of random images.

Consider organizing your photography around themes or stories. Instead of uploading every photo you take, choose images that represent something you were trying to capture or explore.

• Moments and environments — photos that capture everyday life at your school or in your community.
• Nature and Colorado landscapes — if you enjoy outdoor photography, your home state offers incredible material to explore visually.
• People and emotion — portraits or candid moments that tell a story.

You don’t need to decide this immediately. The important step is to save your strongest work and revisit it later. Over time, you may start noticing patterns in what you like to photograph.

If you continue entering school photography contests or submitting work to school publications, those experiences can naturally expand the portfolio.

Build a Simple Online Portfolio Site

At some point during high school, it would be helpful to gather your work into a single online portfolio site. This doesn’t need to be complex. Even a very simple website with a few sections can make your work easier to organize and share.

A basic structure might look like this:

The committee noted that bringing photography together with digital or interactive elements could create a more unified creative identity. A personal website is one way to do that. For example, if you later experiment with simple coding, digital design, or multimedia storytelling, those pieces could live alongside your photos.

You have not provided information yet about coding, design tools, or digital media experience. If those are areas you’re curious about, consider exploring them gradually. Many students discover that visual creativity and technology complement each other well.

Explore Visual Storytelling

Photography becomes even more powerful when it is used to tell a story. Instead of thinking of each photo as a standalone image, try experimenting with small collections of images that work together.

Examples of storytelling approaches you might explore:

• A photo series documenting a day at your high school.
• A small project capturing how seasons change in a local park.
• A short visual narrative about a hobby, club, or community event.

Later, digital tools could help expand these ideas. For instance, combining photos with simple web pages, captions, or interactive elements can turn a set of images into a fuller experience for viewers.

The goal isn’t technical complexity. It’s learning how images, text, and design can work together to communicate something meaningful.

Document Your Creative Process

One overlooked part of portfolio building is keeping track of how you created something. When you take photos that you like, consider jotting down quick notes:

• What made you want to take that photo?
• What were you trying to capture?
• What did you learn from the shot?

These reflections can eventually help you write short descriptions for your portfolio site. They also make you more aware of how your style develops over time.

You have not provided information yet about other creative activities such as art classes, media clubs, yearbook, or design work. If any of those exist at your high school, consider exploring them—they can provide both inspiration and opportunities to practice visual storytelling.

Keep the Portfolio Small but Thoughtful

Early portfolios often become cluttered with too many pieces. A stronger approach is to maintain a tight selection of work you’re proud of.

A simple guideline you can follow:

This gradual approach keeps the process fun and exploratory rather than stressful.

Monthly Exploration Calendar (Freshman Year)

Over time, this process can turn one contest-winning image into something bigger: a growing body of work that shows how you see the world and how your creativity develops throughout high school.

05 Semester Plan: Building Momentum Through Exploration and One Tangible Project

Tyler, the next semester is a great window to start turning curiosity into visible progress. Right now, the most valuable thing you can do is experiment with interests and produce something tangible from at least one of them. Because you are still early in high school and your intended major is undecided, this semester should focus on discovering what genuinely holds your attention while also beginning to show steady growth in a small number of pursuits.

One theme that emerged from the earlier planning discussion is that the next 3–6 months should include creating and sharing a concrete project. That does not need to be large or complicated. The key is that it becomes something you can point to and say, “I explored this idea and built something from it.” This kind of milestone helps you learn how you work, what problems interest you, and how to finish something you start.

Another important focus for the semester is academic planning for next year. Your current GPA of 3.70 shows solid academic performance. As you approach course selection for sophomore year, the goal should be gradually increasing rigor—especially in subjects that develop quantitative or technical thinking. Even if you remain undecided about a major, strengthening skills in areas like math, data analysis, computing, or scientific reasoning will keep many pathways open.

Finally, if you are currently experimenting with multiple activities, this semester is a good time to start noticing which ones you want to stick with. You do not need to narrow down immediately, but the goal is to begin moving from “trying lots of things” toward making measurable progress in one or two areas that you enjoy returning to each week.

Because your activity list was not provided, it is difficult to recommend specific organizations or clubs. Over the next few months, it would be helpful to keep track of the activities you try and which ones you want to continue. That record will help guide future planning.

Three Priorities for This Semester

1. Create One Public, Tangible Project

A project gives structure to your curiosity. The committee discussion highlighted the value of finishing something and sharing it publicly, even if the audience is small. This builds confidence and helps you learn the full cycle of exploration → creation → sharing.

Because your specific interests were not provided, the exact project should come from whatever you find yourself naturally drawn to right now. Consider ideas such as:

• Building something technical or analytical if you enjoy math, coding, or engineering concepts.
• Creating a research-style exploration of a topic you find interesting and presenting it publicly.
• Launching a small online space (website, blog, or channel) where you share what you learn about a subject.
• Designing a community-oriented initiative tied to something you care about.

The goal is not perfection. The goal is finishing something that shows curiosity and effort. Once completed, share it in a visible way—online, at your school, or with a small audience.

Over time, these kinds of projects can become stepping stones toward larger ideas.

2. Choose Next-Year Courses That Stretch You

Course selection for sophomore year will likely happen during this semester. When reviewing options at your high school, consider classes that gradually increase rigor. In particular, explore courses that build strong analytical foundations.

Because your current course list was not provided, you should review options with a counselor or teacher and ask:

• Which math course would continue building strong quantitative skills?
• Are there science or technology classes that introduce more hands-on problem solving?
• Are there honors or advanced options that are challenging but still manageable?

The goal is steady growth rather than jumping too far too fast. Consistent academic challenge across the next several years will help you discover subjects you enjoy while strengthening your learning habits.

3. Start Focusing on One or Two Activities

Freshman year often involves trying many things: clubs, sports, competitions, or creative groups. That experimentation is healthy.

By the end of this semester, begin asking yourself a simple question: Which activities do I want to keep investing time in next year?

You do not need to decide permanently, but it helps to notice where you naturally spend energy and where you see yourself improving. Growth across multiple semesters—learning new skills, taking on responsibility, or contributing more deeply—often comes from staying engaged in a small number of activities rather than constantly switching.

Since your current activities were not provided, consider keeping a simple list this semester:

• Activities you tried
• How often you participated
• Whether you want to continue next year

This reflection will make sophomore-year decisions much easier.

Suggested Semester Timeline (Next 6 Months)

Monthly Action Calendar

By the end of this semester, the most important outcome is simple: you will have built and shared one real project, clarified which activities you want to continue, and chosen challenging courses for next year. Those steps create a strong foundation for the rest of high school—and they also help you learn what genuinely excites you.

02 Testing Foundations

Tyler, earning a 1520 SAT this early in high school is a strong signal that standardized testing is already working in your favor. Scores at that level generally reflect strong reasoning skills in reading, writing, and math—skills that will support you throughout challenging high school courses. Because you achieved this score in Grade 9, your testing strategy over the next few years can be very different from many students who spend large amounts of time preparing for exams.

The most important shift now is this: testing is largely a maintenance task, not a major project. The committee discussion emphasized that once a student demonstrates this level of standardized testing ability, future growth usually comes from what you learn and explore, not from repeatedly chasing slightly higher scores. In other words, the real opportunity ahead of you is academic curiosity—taking interesting classes, exploring subjects you enjoy, and discovering what kinds of problems excite you.

This is especially helpful because you have listed your intended major as Undecided. A completed or near-completed testing foundation gives you the freedom to experiment academically without feeling pressure to constantly prepare for another exam.

What Your Current Score Means for the Next Few Years

A 1520 early in high school suggests that the fundamental skills measured by standardized tests—analytical reading, mathematical reasoning, and pattern recognition—are already well developed. That doesn’t mean you never think about testing again, but it does mean the role of testing becomes simpler.

For the remainder of high school, testing typically serves three practical purposes:

• Official reporting requirements (sending scores to colleges later)
• School-administered exams such as the PSAT if your high school offers it
• Occasional refresh preparation to stay comfortable with test formats

None of these require long-term, intensive preparation. Instead, they involve staying familiar with the format and confirming that your performance remains consistent if you take the test again later.

Why Retesting Is Probably Not the Best Use of Your Time

Students sometimes assume that once they start testing, they should keep retaking exams to push scores higher. But the committee flagged an important point: once your score is already strong, additional gains tend to be small while the time investment grows.

For you, the bigger opportunities over the next three years will come from:

• Exploring different academic subjects
• Challenging yourself with rigorous coursework when appropriate
• Following intellectual interests that develop naturally
• Trying clubs, competitions, or projects that help you discover what you enjoy

Since you have not yet provided information about your course rigor, academic interests, or extracurricular activities, those areas will become the most important parts of your high school story. Testing already gives you a stable academic foundation; the next step is discovering what kinds of learning experiences excite you.

PSAT and School-Based Testing

Most high schools offer the PSAT during sophomore and junior year. Because you already have a strong SAT score, the PSAT should feel very manageable. You likely will not need extensive preparation—usually a short refresher on test format is enough.

Since you have not provided information about whether your school requires or administers the PSAT, consider asking your school counselor how testing works at your high school. Knowing the schedule early helps you plan ahead without stress.

If your school does administer the PSAT, treat it mainly as a practice environment rather than a high-pressure event. Your goal is simply to stay comfortable with the style of questions.

Keeping Your Skills Sharp (Without Over-Studying)

Even though heavy test prep is unnecessary, it can still be useful to keep your reasoning skills active. The best way to do this usually is not through test prep books, but through regular academic engagement.

Examples of activities that naturally reinforce testing skills include:

• Reading widely—fiction, nonfiction, science writing, history, or journalism
• Taking math courses that challenge you to solve unfamiliar problems
• Writing essays and arguments in your classes
• Participating in discussions or debate-style learning environments

These types of experiences strengthen the same thinking skills measured on standardized tests while also helping you discover what subjects interest you most.

Information Still Missing From Your Profile

A few testing-related details have not been provided yet. Adding them later will help shape a more precise strategy:

• Whether your 1520 SAT came from an official administration or a practice test
• If you plan to take the PSAT at your high school
• Your current or planned math course progression
• Any interest in subject-based competitions or academic challenges

None of these are urgent right now, but they help ensure that testing remains a smooth, low-stress part of your academic plan.

How Testing Fits Into Your Overall High School Journey

Because testing is already in a strong place, the most valuable mindset for the next few years is curiosity. High school is the time to figure out what kinds of ideas, questions, or fields keep pulling your attention.

You might discover that you enjoy engineering problems, environmental science, economics, computer science, literature, or something completely unexpected. The goal is not to decide immediately—it’s to explore widely and notice what feels exciting.

Your early testing success simply means you have room to explore without the pressure of constant exam preparation. That flexibility is one of the best advantages you can have as a freshman.

Testing Maintenance Calendar (Next 12 Months)

The key takeaway is simple: your testing foundation is already strong. Instead of spending years preparing for exams, you can focus on the fun and meaningful part of high school—discovering what you genuinely enjoy learning.

As you explore different subjects and activities over the next few years, your academic interests will naturally become clearer. When that happens, testing will already be taken care of, leaving you free to dive deeper into the things that truly capture your curiosity.

03 Extracurricular Strategy

Tyler, the most important theme for your extracurricular development right now is moving from exploration toward gradual depth. As a freshman, trying different things is healthy and normal. The activities you’ve shared appear genuine and not artificially constructed just to “look good,” which is a strong starting point. The next step over the next few years is not to add more and more activities, but to identify one or two that you genuinely enjoy and slowly build responsibility and impact within them.

The committee noted that your current involvement suggests broad exploration but not yet a long-term commitment to a single area. That’s completely expected in Grade 9. The goal between now and junior year is simply to watch which activities naturally hold your interest and then deepen your involvement there.

Because you are currently undecided about your future major, your extracurricular strategy should stay flexible. Rather than trying to force a theme too early, focus on discovering what types of work you enjoy: teamwork, competition, building things, helping others, organizing events, research, creative work, or athletics.

Activity Portfolio Evaluation

You have not provided a full list of your extracurricular activities yet. That makes it difficult to evaluate the balance of your current portfolio in detail. For example, the following information would be helpful to include in the future:

• Clubs you currently participate in
• Community service or volunteering
• Academic teams or competitions
• Creative or technical hobbies
• Part-time work or independent projects
• The specific sport connected to your junior varsity athletics

Providing this information will allow your strategy to become more precise. For now, we can still outline how your activities should evolve based on the patterns identified so far.

One item that did appear in the discussion is junior varsity athletics. Athletics can be a meaningful part of a student’s story, especially when they involve persistence, teamwork, and long-term commitment. However, junior varsity participation alone usually does not become a defining element unless it develops further over time.

Possible ways athletics can grow in impact include:

• Progressing to varsity participation
• Taking on informal or formal leadership roles on the team
• Mentoring younger teammates
• Helping organize team events or training activities

You do not need all of these outcomes for athletics to matter. The key is continuing involvement and visible growth over several years.

Choosing One Area to Deepen

Right now, the most valuable step is identifying one activity that could realistically become a multi‑year commitment. This does not mean dropping everything else. Instead, it means allowing one activity to gradually become the place where you spend the most energy and take on increasing responsibility.

Think about your activities in three categories:

As a freshman, you may still be figuring out what your “core activity” will be. That’s perfectly fine. By sophomore year, you should start noticing which activity feels most meaningful or exciting.

How Responsibility Can Grow Over Time

Depth is usually visible through increasing responsibility. Colleges rarely expect freshmen or sophomores to lead major organizations. Instead, growth often looks like this:

This progression happens naturally when you stay involved in something long enough. The key is consistency, not trying to rush into leadership too early.

Protecting Authentic Interests

One positive aspect of your current profile is that your activities appear authentic rather than engineered just to impress someone. It is important to keep that quality.

When students add too many activities solely because they think colleges expect them, their schedules become crowded but shallow. Instead, a better approach is:

• Stay involved in activities you genuinely enjoy
• Gradually spend more time where your curiosity grows
• Allow leadership opportunities to emerge naturally

Admissions readers tend to recognize when students have real enthusiasm for what they do.

How to Strengthen Activity Descriptions Later

Although your applications are years away, it is helpful to start thinking about how activities eventually get described. Strong activity descriptions focus on impact and responsibility, not just participation.

For example:

Less descriptive: “Member of school club”

Stronger: “Participated in weekly meetings and helped organize club events”

As your involvement grows, the details naturally become richer:

More advanced example: “Coordinated weekly practices and mentored new members.”

Right now, the important habit is simply keeping track of what you do—events you helped with, improvements you made, or responsibilities you took on.

Time Allocation During the School Year

A balanced weekly structure during freshman year often looks something like this:

This keeps your schedule manageable while still allowing room to discover new interests.

Freshman–Sophomore Development Calendar

What to Do Next

The most helpful next step is simple: document your current activities. Since you have not provided your full activity list yet, adding that information will allow a much more specific strategy. Include:

• All clubs or organizations you participate in
• Your junior varsity sport
• Any hobbies, competitions, or community involvement
• Approximate time commitment for each

Once that information is clear, it becomes much easier to identify which activity might grow into your long-term focus.

For now, your job during freshman year is straightforward: stay curious, try things, and notice what excites you enough to keep coming back. Depth will develop naturally from there.

04. Major‑Specific Preparation

Tyler, because you are currently exploring interests and have not committed to a specific academic direction yet, the smartest move during your first years of high school is to build a strong technical foundation. Skills in mathematics, programming, and computational thinking support a wide range of college majors—from engineering and computer science to data science, physics, economics, and emerging fields like game development or interactive media.

The committee noted that if creative technology or game development becomes something you enjoy pursuing more seriously later in high school, then stronger preparation in math and computer science will be especially valuable. Even if you ultimately choose a different direction, these subjects build analytical habits and problem‑solving skills that transfer to many fields.

Right now, the goal is not to “lock in” a major. Instead, focus on keeping doors open while discovering what kinds of problems and tools you enjoy working with.

1. Build a Strong Math Progression

Mathematics is the backbone for most technology‑related majors. Colleges like the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University expect students interested in technical fields to arrive comfortable with quantitative reasoning.

You have not provided your current or planned math course sequence. That information will be important to track. As you plan future schedules with your counselor at your high school, consider choosing the most challenging math courses that feel manageable and interesting.

A typical strong progression for technology‑oriented exploration might look like this:

If your school offers multiple levels (standard, honors, AP, dual enrollment), consider selecting the most challenging option that allows you to stay curious and confident. The goal is steady growth rather than rushing ahead too quickly.

2. Explore Programming Early

You have not yet provided information about computer science classes or coding experience. If programming is available at your high school, exploring at least one introductory course during the next year or two could be very helpful.

Introductory programming courses often teach languages like Python, Java, or JavaScript. These help develop skills such as:

• Logical problem solving
• Breaking complex tasks into smaller steps
• Debugging and iterative thinking
• Understanding how software systems work

For students who eventually enjoy areas like game design, robotics, artificial intelligence, or app development, early exposure to coding can make advanced classes later in high school much more comfortable.

If your school offers multiple computer science options, you might consider a progression like:

If your school does not offer many computer science classes, online learning platforms can supplement your experience. The key is simply trying programming early enough to see whether it excites you.

3. Technical Foundations That Support Game Development or Creative Technology

If you later discover that creative technology or game development interests you, several foundational subjects will become especially useful. Many students imagine game development as mostly art or storytelling, but the underlying systems rely heavily on mathematics and programming.

Areas worth gradually exploring include:

• Algebra and calculus — used for physics simulations, movement systems, and graphics.
• Programming logic — building interactive systems and game mechanics.
• Physics — important for realistic motion and simulation.
• Digital design tools — helpful if visual creativity becomes part of your interests.

You do not need to master all of these right now. Instead, notice which classes or tools make you feel curious enough to keep experimenting.

4. Competitions and Skill‑Building Opportunities

You have not yet provided information about participation in technical competitions or STEM clubs. These experiences can be a fun way to practice skills you learn in class while meeting other students who enjoy similar challenges.

If opportunities exist at your high school or in your community, you might consider exploring:

• Programming competitions
• Robotics teams
• Technology or coding clubs
• Math competitions or math club

The goal is not to collect awards but to experience different types of problem solving. Some students discover they love building robots, while others enjoy writing code or solving mathematical puzzles.

5. Technical Skills That Keep Multiple Majors Open

Because you are currently undecided about your future major, it helps to focus on a set of transferable technical skills. These are useful in many different academic directions and will make your college coursework easier later on.

Developing these abilities during high school makes it much easier to transition into a wide range of majors once you reach college.

6. Information You Have Not Provided Yet

To refine your preparation plan over time, it would help to know more about:

• Your current math course and the next courses available at your high school
• Whether your school offers computer science or programming classes
• Any STEM clubs, robotics teams, or coding groups you might consider joining
• Whether you have already experimented with coding tools or game engines

As you move through high school, keeping track of these details will make it easier to shape a learning path that matches what you genuinely enjoy.

Monthly Exploration Calendar (Freshman–Sophomore Development)

Tyler, the most important idea at this stage is simple: follow curiosity while building strong fundamentals. By steadily strengthening your math and programming skills, you give yourself the flexibility to explore many different majors over the next few years—including creative technology fields if they end up being something you really enjoy.

08 Creative Projects

Tyler, creative projects are a great way to explore what you enjoy building while also learning real technical and creative skills. Because you are still early in high school, the goal isn’t to produce something perfect. Instead, think of these projects as experiments where you try ideas, learn new tools, and share what you make.

The committee highlighted two promising directions that fit well for a freshman: building a small interactive game and creating a themed photography project based on local environments. Both are excellent ways to explore different interests—technology and storytelling—while producing work you can actually show people. Over time, these projects can form a simple portfolio that documents what you learned and created during high school.

Project 1: Build and Publish a Small Unity Game

A beginner game project is one of the most fun ways to learn programming, design thinking, and problem solving. Unity is widely used in the game industry and has excellent beginner tutorials.

Your goal is not to create a huge game. Instead, aim for a small but complete playable experience that demonstrates creativity and persistence.

Example concept ideas you could explore:

• A simple 3D obstacle course where the player navigates mountains or trails
• A puzzle game based on navigating outdoor terrain
• A short story-driven exploration game set in a fictional Colorado landscape

These are only starting ideas. You can adjust the theme based on what interests you.

Suggested beginner tech stack:

Basic build plan:

• Create a small environment (terrain, obstacles, or puzzle area).
• Program simple player controls like movement and jumping.
• Add one main gameplay mechanic (collect items, solve puzzles, reach checkpoints).
• Create a start screen and ending screen.
• Export a playable version and upload it to itch.io.

Finishing a project from start to playable release is far more valuable than starting many unfinished ideas.

Documenting the Development Process

Alongside the game itself, write a short explanation of how you built it. This doesn’t need to be long—one or two pages is plenty—but it helps show how you think and learn.

Your write‑up could include:

• What inspired the game idea
• The tools you used (Unity, C#, etc.)
• Problems you encountered and how you fixed them
• What you would improve if you built a second version

You can include this write‑up in the project’s GitHub repository and also on the itch.io page where the game is published.

This kind of documentation shows curiosity and reflection, which are just as important as the finished product.

GitHub Portfolio Setup

Since you may build multiple projects over the next few years, it helps to organize them in one place.

Recommended structure for your GitHub:

• Repository 1: “Unity‑First‑Game”
• README file explaining the game and including screenshots
• Link to the playable version on itch.io
• Development notes and lessons learned

Later, if you build more experiments—another game, a small simulation, or other programming projects—you can add them as additional repositories.

The goal is simply to keep a clean record of what you build over time.

Project 2: A Themed Photography Series

Creative work does not have to be technical. Photography is another powerful way to explore observation and storytelling.

A themed photo series is more interesting than random pictures because it tells a visual story. One idea the committee highlighted is focusing on outdoor environments or community spaces near where you live.

Possible themes to explore:

• Local hiking trails and natural landscapes
• Parks and outdoor recreation spaces
• How people interact with nature in everyday life
• Seasonal changes in the same locations

You do not need expensive equipment. A smartphone camera works perfectly well when you focus on composition and lighting.

Project structure:

You can host the finished series on a simple website, a digital portfolio platform, or even a GitHub Pages site if you want to combine the technical and creative sides of your work.

Combining Projects into a Portfolio

Over time, these projects can become a small creative portfolio that represents your interests. Right now you may not know exactly what field you want to pursue, and that’s completely normal for a freshman. Projects like these help you discover what kinds of work you actually enjoy.

Your portfolio could eventually include:

• A playable Unity game hosted on itch.io
• The GitHub repository showing how it was built
• A short development write‑up
• A photography series documenting outdoor spaces

This combination shows both technical curiosity and creative exploration.

Suggested Project Timeline (Freshman–Sophomore Exploration)

These timelines are flexible. The point is simply to move from experimenting with ideas to finishing small creative projects.

By the end of the year, you’ll have something tangible that shows what you explored and what you learned—two things that matter far more than trying to rush into overly complex projects too early.

14. Building Meaningful Teacher Relationships

Over the next few years, some of the most important people in your academic life will be your teachers. They see how you approach difficult problems, how you respond when something is confusing, and how you contribute to the learning environment around you. Long before recommendation letters become relevant, strong teacher relationships grow out of everyday classroom moments—asking thoughtful questions, engaging with challenging material, and showing genuine curiosity about how things work.

Because you are only in Grade 9, the goal right now is not to “collect recommenders.” Instead, it is to build habits that help teachers see how your mind works. When teachers observe your effort, curiosity, and persistence across an entire semester or school year, they are able to describe you in vivid and specific ways later on.

Your academic record (GPA 3.70) already suggests that you are handling your coursework well. One theme the committee emphasized is that deeper engagement in challenging classes will naturally create more opportunities for teachers to notice your intellectual curiosity and work ethic. Those observations eventually become the foundation for strong recommendations—but more importantly, they also make your classes more interesting and rewarding.

Since you have not yet provided information about your courses, activities, or specific academic interests beyond being undecided, the next few years are a good time to explore subjects that genuinely spark your curiosity. Teacher relationships tend to form most naturally in classes where you are excited by the material.

Why Teacher Relationships Matter Later

Eventually, when you apply to colleges, teachers often write recommendation letters describing how you learn, collaborate, and approach challenges. The most helpful letters come from teachers who have seen you think deeply about ideas, not just earn good grades.

Teachers who can write detailed recommendations often remember moments like:

• You asking a question that pushes a discussion further.
• You revising a project because you wanted to understand something more clearly.
• You helping classmates work through a difficult concept.
• You exploring an idea beyond what was required.

These moments happen naturally when you are engaged in class. They do not require doing anything artificial or performative. Consistent curiosity and effort tend to stand out over time.

Subjects Where Strong Mentors Often Emerge

Because your future academic direction is still open, it is helpful to pay attention to which subjects make you most curious. The committee noted that teachers in areas like math, computer science, or creative technology can sometimes offer a particularly interesting perspective if a student shows both analytical thinking and creativity.

This does not mean you need to pursue those subjects specifically. Instead, think of them as examples of environments where problem-solving and creative experimentation often happen together.

If you find yourself enjoying classes like these, consider how you interact with the teacher and the material:

• Ask follow-up questions when a concept interests you.
• Experiment with different approaches when solving problems.
• Share your thinking process when discussing solutions.
• Reflect on what confused you and how you figured it out.

Teachers often remember students who show genuine curiosity about how things work, not just students who arrive at the right answer.

Habits That Help Teachers See Your Curiosity

The most effective way to build strong academic relationships is simple: consistently engage with the learning process. When teachers see you actively thinking, questioning, and improving, they gain insight into your character as a learner.

Some habits that help teachers understand your strengths include:

• Participating in discussions. Even occasional thoughtful comments show that you are processing the material.
• Asking clarifying questions. This signals that you care about understanding ideas deeply.
• Taking initiative during projects. When teachers see how you approach open-ended assignments, they learn a lot about your work style.
• Following up after class. A short conversation about something you found interesting can lead to ongoing academic dialogue.

These behaviors make it easier for teachers to write meaningful descriptions later on because they have witnessed your thinking in action.

Consistency Matters More Than Individual Moments

One key point the committee raised is that strong recommendations rarely come from a single impressive assignment. Instead, they come from consistent engagement across an entire course.

Teachers notice patterns:

• Students who regularly contribute thoughtful ideas.
• Students who stay engaged even when the material becomes challenging.
• Students who treat projects as opportunities to explore ideas rather than simply complete tasks.

If a teacher sees this pattern over many months, they can confidently describe your intellectual curiosity and work ethic.

What You Should Start Paying Attention to Now

Because you have not provided details about your current activities, clubs, or favorite subjects yet, the next step is simply observing which classes energize you the most. Those environments often lead to the most meaningful mentorship.

As you move through high school, notice:

• Which teachers explain ideas in ways that make you want to learn more.
• Which classes spark questions you keep thinking about after school.
• Which projects make you lose track of time while working on them.

These signals often point toward teachers who may become important mentors. Relationships that start from genuine curiosity about a subject tend to develop naturally.

Monthly Relationship-Building Habits

The Big Picture

The strongest teacher relationships grow from authentic curiosity. When you treat your classes as opportunities to explore ideas rather than just complete assignments, teachers naturally notice.

Right now, your focus should simply be:

• Taking challenging classes when appropriate.
• Staying curious during discussions and projects.
• Showing consistent effort throughout the year.

If you build these habits early in high school, the relationships with teachers will develop naturally—and those connections will support both your academic growth and your future college applications.

12 Things to Avoid Over the Next Four Years

High school is a long runway. The goal right now isn’t perfection—it’s growth. Still, certain patterns can quietly weaken an application or make it harder for colleges to understand who you are. The committee discussion highlighted a few risks that could apply to your current profile. Avoiding these pitfalls will keep your path flexible while still allowing you to discover what genuinely interests you.

Important Gaps in Your Current Profile

Several parts of your high school experience have not been provided yet. Without them, it’s difficult to evaluate potential risks fully. You have not shared:

• Extracurricular activities
• Clubs, sports, or competitions
• Personal projects or hobbies
• Summer programs or independent work

This missing information matters because many of the pitfalls above—especially those related to authentic interests and tangible outputs—depend heavily on what you are actually doing outside the classroom. As you continue building your profile, make sure you document these areas so they can be evaluated and improved over time.

Why Authentic Growth Matters More Than Early Strategy

Because you’re only in Grade 9, the biggest long‑term risk isn’t a specific activity choice—it’s drifting through high school without developing a clear sense of what you enjoy learning or building. The committee emphasized that exploration is valuable, but exploration becomes meaningful when it eventually produces something concrete: a project, a skill, a body of work, or a deeper commitment.

That’s why the most important mistakes to avoid revolve around two themes:

• Keeping interests vague without producing tangible work
• Trying to force impressive-looking activities rather than following genuine curiosity

If those two patterns are avoided, the rest of your profile will naturally become more interesting and easier for colleges like the University of Colorado Boulder or Colorado State University to understand.

Right now, your job is simply to try things, notice what excites you, and gradually turn those curiosities into real experiences and creations. Avoid shortcuts or artificial résumé-building, and your story will develop much more naturally over the next three years.

09. School Exploration

Tyler, ninth grade is a great time to start getting a feel for different college environments—not to “choose a school” yet, but to notice what kinds of places make you curious and energized. Since you live in Colorado and two of your early target schools are University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University–Fort Collins, you have a useful advantage: both campuses are accessible enough that you can explore them gradually over the next few years instead of rushing the process later.

The committee noted that both universities have environments that could match several directions you might explore during high school. At this stage you have listed your major as undecided, and you have not yet provided information about extracurricular activities or personal projects. That’s completely normal for a freshman. The goal of school exploration right now is to help you discover what kinds of academic communities excite you so you can start experimenting with related interests in high school.

What to Notice About CU Boulder

When you explore the University of Colorado Boulder, pay attention to the mix of outdoor culture and creative technology communities. Boulder is known for a student culture where outdoor activity and creative experimentation often overlap. Even if you are not yet sure what you want to study, this environment can be helpful for students who like blending different interests—technology, design, storytelling, games, media, or digital creativity.

As you research Boulder, look for signals of:

• Creative technology spaces where students build interactive media, games, or digital art.
• Student clubs focused on digital creation—for example game design groups, coding clubs, or media production teams.
• Collaborative project culture, where students publish games, create digital experiences, or produce media together.
• Outdoor-oriented student life, which is a defining part of Boulder’s campus environment.

You do not need to join any of these areas immediately in high school. Instead, simply notice whether the idea of students building creative technology projects together sounds exciting to you. If it does, that may hint at directions you could explore during the next few years.

What to Notice About Colorado State University

Colorado State University–Fort Collins is another excellent school to explore closely, especially because you are an in‑state student. Being local can make it easier to attend campus events, summer programs, or student showcases in the future.

When researching CSU, focus on the ways students actually build and share projects. Universities often reveal their culture through what students create outside the classroom.

For example, explore whether you see:

• Student project showcases where undergraduates demonstrate games, digital media, or software they’ve built.
• Collaborative student clubs that focus on game development, creative coding, or digital storytelling.
• Digital media labs or creative studios where students experiment with technology and art together.
• Hackathons, showcases, or build‑weekends where students prototype ideas.

These types of programs are helpful because they reveal how much a campus encourages students to experiment and build things together. If you later discover that you enjoy creative technology, media production, or game design, those communities can become important learning spaces.

Why Clubs and Student Projects Matter

One of the most useful ways to explore colleges is to look beyond majors and into student communities. Majors describe what you study; clubs and projects show how students actually spend their time.

Right now, you have not provided information about your current extracurricular activities. As you begin trying things in high school, it can be helpful to occasionally look at the kinds of communities that exist at universities you might attend. If you notice that many of the projects or clubs excite you, that’s a strong signal that the environment could fit you well later.

For example, if you discover that:

• You enjoy building small digital projects
• You like experimenting with games or interactive media
• You enjoy collaborative creative work

…then exploring universities where those student communities are active can help you imagine what your future learning environment might feel like.

On the other hand, if those communities don’t interest you, that’s useful information too. Exploration is about noticing what genuinely sparks curiosity.

Simple Ways to Explore Campuses as a Freshman

You don’t need to do formal campus tours right away. Instead, think of school exploration as small curiosity-driven activities spread over several years.

• Watch student project demos or club videos from both universities.
• Look at student organization pages to see what students are building.
• If you visit Boulder or Fort Collins for other reasons, walk around campus and observe student life.
• Attend public events, student showcases, or tech demonstrations if they are open to visitors.

Each small exposure helps you build a mental picture of the environment. By the time you reach junior year, you’ll have a much clearer sense of which type of campus community feels like a good fit.

What Information Is Still Missing

Right now, you have not provided:

• Your extracurricular activities
• Clubs or hobbies you currently enjoy
• Creative or technical projects you may have tried

Those details will become important later because they help connect your high school experiences with the kinds of communities you explore at universities. As you begin joining activities or experimenting with projects, keep track of what you enjoy most. Those interests will guide future school exploration.

Freshman-Year Exploration Calendar

Over time, these small exploration steps help you develop a genuine sense of which environments feel inspiring. By the time you are closer to applying, you won’t just know the names of universities—you’ll understand the communities inside them and the kinds of projects you might want to build there.

10. Sophomore Year Preview: Turning Curiosity into Direction

Tyler, sophomore year is often the moment when high school begins to feel more real academically and socially. Freshman year is about adjusting and trying things. Sophomore year is when students begin to stretch a little further—in the classes they take, the projects they build, and the ways they contribute to groups or communities.

You still have several years before college applications, so the goal right now is not to “optimize” anything. Instead, sophomore year should help you discover what kinds of problems and ideas actually excite you. Over time, patterns naturally appear. When colleges eventually review applications, they tend to notice students whose interests developed step‑by‑step rather than appearing suddenly in senior year.

Three themes will make sophomore year especially valuable for you: gradually increasing academic challenge, developing projects into something more complete, and starting to experiment with leadership in small but meaningful ways.

Increasing Academic Challenge

One of the clearest signals of growth between freshman and sophomore year is course progression. The committee reviewing your academic profile highlighted the importance of gradually increasing the difficulty of your classes, particularly in areas like math, computing, or analytical subjects.

You have not provided your current course list, so it’s hard to comment on your exact trajectory. If you add your freshman schedule in the future, we could look more closely at how your sophomore classes build on it.

For now, the guiding principle is simple: sophomore year should feel like a natural next step in challenge. That doesn’t mean loading up on the hardest possible schedule. Instead, it means choosing courses that push you to think more deeply than freshman year did.

If your school offers higher‑level math, computer science, engineering, or other analytical classes, sophomore year can be a great time to explore one of those pathways. Students who eventually discover interests in fields like engineering, economics, data science, architecture, or research often first encounter them through sophomore‑level classes.

Because you listed your intended major as Undecided, exploring these kinds of subjects can be especially helpful. Think of sophomore year as a testing ground: you’re figuring out which types of thinking feel energizing rather than draining.

Developing Projects Beyond the First Version

Freshman year projects—whether they are personal builds, creative experiments, club initiatives, or research explorations—often start small. That’s normal. Early projects are usually about learning tools and figuring out what interests you.

You have not provided information about any projects you may have started this year. If you did begin something during freshman year, sophomore year is the time to expand or refine it.

Growth can take several forms:

• Turning a simple prototype into a more polished version
• Collaborating with classmates or friends to improve the idea
• Presenting the project in a showcase, fair, or community event
• Sharing the work publicly so others can interact with it

The important shift is moving from “I tried something” to “I developed something.”

If you did not start any projects during freshman year, that’s completely fine. Sophomore year is still an excellent time to begin experimenting. The key is choosing something that genuinely interests you rather than something that feels like a résumé item. A project works best when you keep returning to it because you're curious about how it could improve.

Projects do not need to be large or complicated. Many meaningful high school projects begin with a simple question like:

• How could I build or design something useful?
• How could I analyze or understand a problem better?
• How could I create something people enjoy?

Once a project exists, sophomore year is when iteration begins—adjusting, improving, and sometimes expanding it with other people.

Early Leadership Through Contribution

Leadership in sophomore year usually doesn’t mean holding a big title yet. Instead, it often looks like helping something move forward.

If you join clubs, teams, or creative groups at your high school, sophomore year is when you might begin taking on slightly more responsibility. That could mean:

• Helping organize a club activity or event
• Coordinating a small group working on a project
• Supporting younger students or new members
• Taking initiative to improve something that already exists

You have not provided a list of extracurricular activities yet, which makes it difficult to recommend specific leadership paths. When you eventually build your activity list, it will become much easier to identify opportunities where leadership could naturally develop.

For now, the mindset to carry into sophomore year is simple: notice where things could work better and volunteer to help. Leadership often starts when someone raises their hand and says, “I can help with that.”

Over time, these small contributions often grow into more formal leadership roles later in high school.

Exploration Near Home: Your Colorado Context

Because you live in Colorado and are considering schools like the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University, sophomore year can also be a good time to start noticing what kinds of academic environments interest you.

This doesn’t mean making college decisions yet. Instead, it’s about paying attention to the kinds of subjects and communities that feel exciting.

If opportunities arise to visit campuses, attend academic events, or explore programs related to science, technology, business, arts, or environmental studies, those experiences can help you imagine different possible paths.

The goal isn’t to commit to a major. It’s simply to notice what sparks curiosity.

What Success Looks Like by the End of Sophomore Year

If sophomore year goes well, you will likely notice three kinds of progress:

• Your classes feel more challenging and intellectually engaging than freshman year.
• One or two interests begin to stand out because you keep returning to them.
• You’ve contributed meaningfully to a group, project, or activity.

None of this needs to be dramatic. Growth at this stage usually happens gradually. The most valuable outcome is simply that you begin to understand yourself better as a learner and as a person.

Sophomore Year Monthly Action Calendar

Sophomore year isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about trying things seriously enough that you start to learn what fits. If you keep pushing yourself academically, develop ideas a little further than the first attempt, and contribute positively to groups around you, you’ll finish the year with much more clarity about where your interests might lead.