Junior Year College Admissions Schedule

SEPTEMBER:

Review your current school transcript and determine your course selection for the school year.
Ensure that your classes are appropriately challenging.
Determine what you can do to improve your grades and GPA.
Explore leadership opportunities in your extra-curricular activities.
Start collecting the material for your activities resume.
Participate in community service activities.
Register for the PSAT exam.

Take the PSAT.
Start thinking about going to college and what you might like to study.
Begin to explore college websites.
You may want to consider taking a career assessment test to help you explore your interests.
Review the requirements for possible majors.
Determine when you plan to take your SAT I (Reasoning test), SAT II (Subject tests), and/or ACT exams. Register for the exams.

Focus on maintaining strong grades.
Work to develop a plan for SAT/ACT preparation.
Begin a more in-depth exploration of colleges.
Plan a trip to visit colleges. Write down your observations.
Begin a search for scholarships and grants.
Discuss your current progress with each of your teachers. Ask if there is additional work that you can do to improve your grades?

Review and discuss PSAT scores.
Review upcoming SAT/ACT registration deadlines and exam dates.
Continue test preparation. Take practice tests to get accustomed to the test format.

Look at schedule of AP/IB exams and register if applicable.
Continue SAT/ACT test preparation through tutoring, prep courses, software, and/or practice tests.
Start selecting senior year courses. Remember, no Senioritis. Try to select courses that will be challenging and interesting to you. .
Discuss potential colleges and start narrowing down your list.

Request admission and financial aid information from the colleges that you are considering.
Create a folder for each school at which you plan to apply.
Continue visiting schools and touring campuses. Make sure that you attend the information sessions and meet the admissions officers. Always send a thank you note or email to the Admissions Officer after a visit.
Work on applications for summer jobs and internships or consider taking a college level course at a college (particularly a school that is on your college list).

Continue visiting schools. Attend college fairs and introduce yourself to the admission representatives.
Consider which teachers, counselors, and mentors you will ask to write letters of recommendation.
Finalize course selection for senior year.
Register for summer school, if necessary.
Continue SAT/ACT and AP/IB test preparation.
Start to narrow down the list of preferred schools.

Finalize summer plans.
Study hard and end the school year with strong grades. Look at final grades and GPA and determine where you can improve.
Continue to visit colleges, set up interviews, meet with admission & financial personnel, and talk with current & former students.
Take AP or IB exams, if registered.
If you have not already done so, take SAT and SAT Subject exams.

If you have not already done so, take the ACT exam.
Talk to the people whom you would like to write your recommendations, and confirm with them that they are willing to do so.

Work and try to put away some money for college.
Continue to visit and research colleges.
Get leadership experience through volunteer activities.
Stay sharp by participating in academic summer programs and reading.
Finalize your college list.
Review which schools on your list use the Common Application and which use other applications.
Explore which schools on your list require supplemental material in addition to the application.
Review the Common Application.
Write college application essays selected from the essay questions in the Common Application or from an individual school’s application.
Write an activities resume. Make sure you include your role in the activities.
Create a chart of the schools to which you will be applying. Include their application deadline and other important dates, the material requested by the school and when it is required and all costs involved in the application process.
Determine whether you would like to apply to a certain school Early Decision or Early Action (the deadline for these applications is usually around November 1^st).