For a high school junior with an eye on the future, the time is now to start setting yourself up for college admissions success.
If you haven't already done so, begin to rank the colleges you would like to attend. At the beginning of your junior year you may have had interest in anywhere from five to twenty five colleges. Based on more research, requests for viewbooks, call to the school, test scores, visits to the Web site, college itself, or local college presentations, by later this spring you should have no more than thirteen colleges on your list.
It's also imperative that you begin to compile your extracurricular resume. Details will get fuzzy, so make sure you type out into a Word Document or spreadsheet all of the activities and responsibilities you have had over your high school years.
By your spring break, try to visit one or more schools on your ever-changing college list. Also by spring break you should begin seriously considering summer college visits with your family, summer jobs/internships, and/or summer academic programs at colleges. In fact, the most competitive summer programs star filling up in January.
It's imperative that you continue to do well in classes and sign up for senior year courses that will challenge you to the max. You will be asked to pick classes for your senior year in the spring of your junior year and you want these courses to be of the highest quality possible – senior year is no time to slow down!
Finally, if you have any teacher this year that you won't have next year, bring up the possibility that you may be asking them for a recommendation in the fall. Gauge the teacher's reaction. If he or she seems eager to write a recommendation on your behalf, you could even get this person the information needed to start writing your recommendation before school ends for summer. If he or she seems tentative when you ask about writing your recommendation, run in the opposite direction!
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