<p>Here’s my list:- </p>
<p>Get organized - develop a filing and record keeping system for each school you are investigating. As time goes on, it is very easy to lose track of where you are with each school - when did you contact them, who did you speak with and what happened? Every application has several steps and many have different procedures from one another.</p>
<p>Measure your needs - make lists of what you are looking for in a school - academics, culture, location, athletics, ECs, etc. This will help you sort through the many possibilities and create a short list of real contenders.</p>
<p>Get acquainted - spend time on the websites of the schools that interest you. Find the Student Guide or rule book, whatever the school calls it - and read it. Try to learn as much as you can about the true culture of each school, don’t rely on hearsay or rumor. Locate students and parents on these boards and PM them with specific questions. If there are school events in your area, go to these and ask more questions. If you can visit schools, do that if you have the time - there is no rule that says you should only visit when you schedule an interview.</p>
<p>Measure yourself - If you have never taken the SSAT, take a trial run in this season. Buy an official SSAT guide or one from the major test organizations. Take the test under simulated test conditions - a quiet, uninterrupted desk environment. No phone, no study aids. Time the sessions and breaks exactly as the SSAT does. Score the test or have it scored for you to get a sense of how you might do in the real test. Are your scores good enough for the schools that interest you? If not, start working on your weaker areas - use vocab flash cards, and/or ixl.com for math prep and/or consider tutoring. </p>
<p>Prep yourself - Make a file that will become the core of your application - who are you and what are you bringing to each school? Write down your personal history, your skills, your passions, your goals. Gather your evidence of your EC successes, your community service, your athletic stats, etc. Start a list of potential recommenders.</p>
<p>Use this time well - try to do everything now that you can do now. In the fall you will be facing a lot of application work just when you are also beginning a new academic year, with new teachers and new courses.</p>