Information for High School Sophomores and Juniors

Are you in high school and ready to start thinking about college choices? Does it feel a little overwhelming? Welcome to the section of the Admissions site that is just for you! 

Before you start finding out all the facts about UMass Lowell, take some time to connect to the campus and the students by checking out the info below.

The information below is intended to de-mystify the process and give you a guide to your own college search. You can also check out the "early bird" timelines below to help you organize your search activities.

We know this can be a stressful time and we are here to help you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.

• Starting the College Selection Process
• Academic Preparation
• Visit the Campus
• Sophomore Timeline (pdf) 
• Junior Timeline (pdf)
  

Starting the College Selection Process

Think of choosing a college as pouring information into a funnel. You’ll pour in a lot of college possibilities and then narrow the list down to the one that is the best fit for you.

You’ll work through your "funnel" by asking a series of questions. Most students find it helpful to start with three basics:

1. Location: Do I want to go to college in an urban, suburban or rural setting?
2. Program: Does this college offer the major(s) I might want to study?
3. Price:  What is the cost, can my family and I afford it, and what is the financial aid picture like?

A web-based college search service is terrific for assembling this initial list. Three good sites are Peterson’s College Search, College Board’s Find a College, and The Princeton Review.  

Peterson's College Search has a very good “Decide What’s Important” feature. They lay out many criteria for choosing a college and let you search on those that are important to you at different points in your search process.

Once you have that initial list of colleges, you can start to collect information on each one. This is the time to start asking questions about selectivity, diversity, sports, clubs and other specifics that are important to you. Check their web sites, request information, and, if possible, visit them.

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Academic Preparation

Starting in your sophomore year, it will be helpful to know the academic requirements – the high school courses that a college asks you to complete – of the colleges that interest you. Then you can make sure to include the classes you need before graduation.

Successful UMass Lowell applicants will have completed the following college prep level courses by the end of senior year.

• English: 4 Courses
• Mathematics: 3 Courses (Algebra I & II and Geometry or  
  Trigonometry, or comparable coursework)
• Sciences: 3 Courses (including 2 courses with laboratory work)
• Social Sciences:  2 Courses (including 1 course in U.S. History)
• Foreign Language:  2 Courses (in a single language)
• Electives:   2 Courses (from the above subjects or from the 
  Arts & Humanities or Computer Sciences)

NOTES:

• If you are interested in studying Math, Science or Engineering, it is strongly recommended that you take four years of Math and Science. 
• Students who have documented learning differences may not need to fulfill the foreign language requirements if appropriate paperwork is submitted.

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Visit the Campus
The more colleges you visit, the better able you will be to understand what’s important to you in the search process.  See as many as you can. Check web sites for tour schedules and special events.

• The Office of Undergraduate Admissions offers a variety of options for visiting. Daily tours are given all year.
• UML’s Open House is in October and is a great way to see a lot at one time.
• Come to a basketball game or a concert. The UML Calendar has listings for most things happening on campus.