If you are ending your junior year of high school and looking forward to a summer off, think again. There are things you need to be doing this summer if you are thinking of applying to college.
The junior year of high school is an important planning period for applying to college. Throughout the fall of your junior year you should have been listing colleges you might be interested in, attending college fairs, and talking with college representatives who have been visiting you high school,
During the winter of your junior year you should have been looking at college websites to gather information about their application procedures and to find out about their requirements, like which tests do they require: the Sat I or the ACT and which and how many SAT II tests you need to take.
By the spring of your junior year you should be signing up for these tests and looking into taking practice or study courses for taking the tests. The SAT can be taken as early as March, and the ACT is given in April and June. You should also be calling or writing colleges for early summer appointments for interviews.
During the summer you should see the campuses of your five top schools, and interviews can be done at the time of your visits. Also it’s important to think about applying to summer programs that will enhance your application to colleges.
College basics has several articles you may want to read to get started: College Application Planning for Juniors, Should I Take the SAT or the ACT, and Preparing for a College Interview.
