Seniors and juniors aren’t the only ones preparing for Saturday’s SAT as some freshman on campus have already started letting their mind wander when it comes to their SATs and college prep, getting ready for something many think to be years ahead of time.

“I don’t think there’s ever a time where you can stop worrying about your SATs,” freshman Zain Rahmani said. “You really need to start thinking about it at freshman year so you can set your schedule and have a plan on what you’re going to do for the rest of your career in high school.”

For the past few years, SATs have become a scholastic focus of a teenager’s life; making it   no surprise that freshman are already at unease.

“They may have a little trouble at first,” counselor Ryan Kiefer said. “As they work through the high school process, they’ll kind of figure things out themselves.”

Although some freshmen feel the need to start college preparation as soon as possible, junior Mykah Robins has her own perspective.

“College is so important, and so I feel that it’s never too early to start preparing,” Robins said. “But, it’s two years away. Slow down a bit, and figure out what pace works for you.”

Already going through the process, senior Peyton Leonard knows what’s in store for many 9th graders.

“The biggest advice I could give would be to enjoy freshman year while it lasts,” Leonard said. “When you get to junior and senior year, that’s when you should be stressing and worrying about college. You should be thinking about college as freshmen as well but focus on maintaining your grades and your extracurriculars. Don’t be stressing about what you’re going to do in the future. You have time. So just enjoy that time.”

But that’s easier said than done as some freshmen on campus either go to KD College Prep in Frisco or are thinking of going.

“I think that KD definitely does prepare students for their SATS,” Rahmani said. “They get an idea of what the format is going to be like, so you can really study what you need to and work on that when the time comes around.”  

But according to KD president David Dillard, SAT prep classes may not be best for all 9th graders.

“Ninth graders can be good for KD. It truly depends,” Dillard said. “That being said, there aren’t a lot of ninth graders, frankly, that are mature enough to make them to maximize the usage of whatever they do in the ninth grade. The most important thing you can do in ninth grade is make good grades at school, begin to explore extracurricular activities that you might want to invest in for all four years, so by the time you apply to high school you’ve got a meaningful college experience with depth that illustrates something about your interest in your character.”

School counselors are available to help students wherever they can.

“I think if the freshman and sophomores just pay attention to what we advise them and really just focus on doing the best they can in the classes they’re in currently, they’ll be fine.” Kiefer said. “We try our best to give students as much information as we can. We try to stay available for them, answering any questions they might have. We’re here for them.”

Each person has a slightly different view on the issue, with many high school students coming to same conclusion sooner or later.

“You start to realize that high school is not going to last forever,” Dillard said. “You think you have time and you put it off, and by twelfth grade, you’re panicked. You miss out. Wishing that you should’ve done so many other things to be better prepared for the end.”

Though most high school students think the SATs are important, Leonard has some practical advice.

“Maintain your grades,” Leonard said. “Don’t stress. Have a good work ethic, do your homework, pay attention, and you should honestly be good. But do stay on top of things. And enjoy the little things. That’s what matters.”