College preparations

what college preparatory things should i be doing for my upcoming jr year(2017)?

Things to do during junior year:

-As always, do your best in school
-Come up with a list of colleges, including safety/match/reach schools, that you might want to attend/apply to
-Take the PSAT/NMSQT (and study for it beforehand!!)
-Take the SAT and/or ACT (and SAT II tests if you want or if any of the schools you’re interested in require/recommend them)
-I would recommend taking SATII Tests in the same subjects you have classes in and in May or June so the
material is fresh in your mind
-Talk to your parents about college!!! Applying, visiting, affording, etc.
-Try to visit some of the schools near you or schools you’re interested in (during school year or summer)
-Take advantage of opportunities your school offers to juniors- college reps visiting, college fairs, job fairs, etc.

(I’ll probably think of more stuff as soon as I post this lol)

  1. Ask parents about how they can pay (budget), figure out your EFC (Estimate Family Contribution) and if you are eligible for need-based and/or merit aid and if FA is needed to attend college.

  2. Take the PSAT and/or PLAN. Figure out which test, SAT or ACT works best for you, study/prepare and try to get at least one full test sitting in before June 2017. This will give you time over the summer to study and retake in Sept/Oct 2017 if needed and still allow time for results to be available for ED/EA schools if you plan to apply.

  3. Take any SAT subject tests by June 2017 or Fall 2017.

  4. Visit some colleges and make a preliminary list of schools that you are interested in applying. Check the common datasets (CDS) to see where you fall in respect to your Stats. You want 1-2 good financial safeties (high acceptance rate (stats 75th percentile)/low costs) on your list, several Match schools (stats at the 50th percentile or higher) and a 1-2 Reach schools.

Good Luck.

Thank you for your comments.

Thank you for your comments.