If you want to learn how to complete your university applications in Grade 11 and breeze through Grade 12 stress-free, then this blog is for you.

Let’s take two hypothetical high school students.

Meet Jack. Jack gets 98% in every class and never seems stressed. He always seems to have time to hang out. Plus, he has some strong accomplishments in extra-curricular activities.

Now meet Jill. Like Jack, she’s focused on keeping her grades up, engaging in extracurriculars, and also preparing for fun Grade 12 activities like prom. However, unlike Jack, she’s majorly stressed.

What’s the difference between these two students? After helping thousands of students win scholarships, we at GrantMe discovered the secret.

We first started working with UBC athletes in their 3rd or 4th year. Some of them were in massive debt—we’re talking $60,000 of debt. Others had no debt and were happy to win scholarships through us for some extra spending money.

We wanted to figure out what separated the students who were drowning in student debt from the students who had money in the bank. So we asked them.

The ones who had money in the bank began planning, saving, and winning scholarships in Grade 12. When we did our research, we realized that there are about 5-10x more scholarships available for Grade 12 students than for post-secondary students and that the ones who got started in Grade 12 were way ahead by the time their 3rd and 4th year rolled around.

So we started working with Grade 12 students to help them get ahead of the curve. We realized that if we could prevent them from even thinking about debt because they won scholarships, then we’d solve the problem before it even happened.

But then we ran into a new challenge. There were some Grade 12 students who applied to 35 scholarships and won $168,000, and then there were others who applied to ZERO and obviously won nothing. 

So again, we wanted to figure out what was different with these Grade 12 students that made them successful. And we discovered…

They started in Grade 11!

Here’s the trick: Grade 12 is a crazy year. You have academics, extracurriculars, post-secondary applications, and even (wait for it) time with your friends!

But Grade 11 is not as hectic. It’s still busy of course, but there’s less pressure. There are no post-secondary applications to prepare, no prom to prepare for.

So if you want to be a student who does well in Grade 12, complete your university applications in Grade 11.  If you wait until Grade 12, there’s a good chance that it will be so hectic that you won’t feel like you can prioritize your post-secondary and scholarship applications until the last minute. And so the students who get behind stay behind all Grade 12. Meanwhile, the students who got ahead in Grade 11, cruise through Grade 12. Here’s what you should do:

Post-secondary and scholarship applications do not change year-to-year. So get a hold of the essay writing prompts and complete your university applications in Grade 11 before heading into the craziness of Grade 12.

Perfect your essays during the summer transition between Grade 11 and 12. And then you’ll have all your major applications already complete before you even start school in September. This way, when it comes time to hand in your application, you just do a quick review and hand it in. This allows you to keep focused on maintaining your academics, and even… spending time with friends and having a bit of fun.

If you complete your university applications in Grade 11, you’ll be able to truly enjoy your Grade 12 year like Jack and avoid major stress.

If you would like support in your Grade 11 year to prepare for Grade 12, GrantMe has programs to set up for success. Click here to learn more about how we can help you achieve your post-secondary goals. Your Grade 12 self will thank you.