Fall Semester

Maintaining your grades during your junior year is especially important. You should be doing at least two hours of homework each night and participating in study groups. Using a computer can be a great tool for organizing your activities and achieving the grades you want.

Talk to your guidance counselor (or teachers, if you don’t have access to a guidance counselor) about the following: Availability of and enrollment in Advanced Placement classes.

Schedules and registration for the PSAT, SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Test, ACT with Writing, and AP exams. Remember that when you take the PSAT in your junior year, the scores will count towards the National Achievement Program and the National Merit Scholarship Program (and it is good practice for the SAT Reasoning Test).

Discuss reasons you should take these exams and ways they could benefit you. Determine which exams you will take. (You can always change your mind.) Sign up and prepare for the exams you’ve decided to take.  If you are in advanced math start taking the SAT in December or January; register in in November.

Ask for a preview of your academic record and profile, determine what gaps or weaknesses there are, and get suggestions on ways to strengthen your candidacy for the schools (8-12) in which you are interested. Determine what it takes to gain admission to the college(s) of your choice, in addition to grade point average (GPA)and test score requirements.

Continue to explore career options using the internet, interviewing professionals, shadowing individual who
has a job that interest you, and discussing the idea of an internship to learn details about jobs for the next year .

If possible, schedule tours of the campus grounds on the same days. You and your parent(s) may want to visit the colleges and universities during spring break and summer vacation so that you do not have to miss school. Some high schools consider a campus visit an excused absence; however, so if need be, you may be able to schedule interviews and visits during the school year without incurring any penalties.

Spring Semester

In January, review your PSAT results with your counselor in order to identify your strengths and to determine the areas that you may need to improve in. Depending on the results, you may want to consider signing up for an SAT preparatory course. Many high schools offer short-term preparatory classes or seminars on the various exams, which tell the students what to expect. Take campus tours online or in person to further narrow your list of colleges to match your personality, GPA, and test scores. Set of a test schedule.

Register for the March SAT and/or the April ACT with Writing Tests. Find out from each college the deadlines for applying for admission and which tests to take. Make sure your test dates give the college ample time to receive test scores. It is a good idea to take the SAT and/or ACT with Writing in the spring to allow you time to review your results and retake the exams in the fall of your senior year, if necessary. Continue preparation for tests to boost scores. Take the March SAT Reasoning Test.

If you are interested in taking any AP exam(s), you should sign up for the exam(s) at this time. If your school does not offer the AP exams, check with your guidance counselor to determine schools in the area that do administer the exam(s), as well as the dates and times that the exam(s) you are taking will be offered. Scoring well on the AP exam can sometimes earn you college credit. Take the April ACT with Writing test.

Talk to teachers about writing letters of recommendation for you. Think about what you would like included in these letters (how you would like to be presented) and politely ask your teachers if they can accommodate you.
Create a resume of activities for those writing letters of recommendations on your behalf.

Take SAT Reasoning Tests, SAT Subject Test, and AP exams. Prep for test to potentially boost scores.

Summer in between Junior and Senior Years

Add any new report cards, test scores, honors, or awards to your file. Visit colleges. Call ahead for appointments with the financial aid, admissions, and academic advisors at the college(s) in which you are most interested. During your visits, talk to professors, sit in on classes, spend a night in the dorms, and speak to students about the college(s). Doing these things will allow you to gather the most information about the college and the atmosphere in which you would be living, should you choose to attend. Some colleges have preview programs that allow you to do all of these; find out which of the schools that you will be visiting offer these programs and take advantage of them.  If you go on interviews or visits, don’t forget to send thank-you notes.

Practice writing online applications by filling out rough drafts of each application without submitting them. Focus on the essay portions of these applications, deciding how you would like to present yourself. Don’t forget to mention your activities outside of school.

Review your applications, especially the essays. Ask family, friends, and teachers to review your essays for grammar, punctuation, readability, and content.

Decide if you are going to apply under a particular college’s early decision or early action programs. This requires you to submit your applications early, typically between October and December of your senior year, but offers the benefit of receiving the college’s decision concerning your admission early, usually before January 1. If you choose to apply early, you should do so to the college/university that is your first choice to attend. Many early decision programs are legally binding, requiring you to attend the college you are applying to, should they accept you.

Read your college mail and send reply cards to your schools of interest.

If you are interested in the military, begin the application process.

“Don’t forget to mention activities outside of school when filling out online applications!”