im a high school student going into junior year this fall and i need some advice on what i should do this year to make my resume look the best that it can for when i start applying for college. my freshman year i took all cp classes since i didnt think i had to try as hard in middle school and therefore was not recommended for any honors. that year i was really easy for me and i only got high A’s and A+'s. sophomore year i jumped to all honors classes except for french in which i stayed in cp for and got high B+'s to A’s. this year im planning to take all honors and 1 AP class (APUSH) and ill probably take 3 AP’s my senior year. i also did volleyball my freshman year but haven’t done any clubs yet though i plan on joining a few this year as well as getting as much community service as i can. i have a 4.0 weighted gpa and i scored a 1150 on my psats without studying although i think i can do a lot better than that. im also fluent in portuguese and may also be in french by the end of high school if that counts for anything. my sister’s also going to northeastern this fall so ill have family legacy there too but im not sure if that would be too much of a reach for me. so what should i do this year so i can still get into a good college and win at least some scholarship money? some names of colleges that you think would be a good fit for me would also be helpful. i would prefer schools in warmer areas also but i dont mind all too much and i also prefer medium to big colleges.
Study and do well on the SAT or ACT by the March test dates. Finish college admissions testing by the end of junior year if you possibly can.
Keep an eye out for college fairs – it’s a great way if find out about a bunch of schools at one time.
First semester junior year: narrow down majors and types of colleges. Are you interested in humanities, science, business, engineering, nursing etc. Do you feel more at home at a small college, a big university, or something in between? (Just visit random schools driving distance from home to start. You’re just getting a feel for different types of schools, not picking your list just yet.) Have a money talk with your parents, too.
Second semester junior year: start building a college list. Knowing test scores, area of interest, type of school, and budget as much as you can narrow any of these down will really help.