<p>Hi, I'm a high school sophomore and I was just wondering for the future..do people usually start applying for college during the summer before your senior year, or during your senior year?
And when I'm a junior, what are some things I can do to help narrow down my choices? (Ex. going on tours)
Thanks so much (:</p>
<p>Usually you start the whole process in the summer, but you don’t actually apply anywhere until October/November during your senior year. I’m a junior, and what I’ve done was go on as many college visits I could to get a feel for the type of school I’d like. And be realistic, don’t waste time visiting Harvard and Yale if there’s no business applying. I’m currently looking to apply to 13 schools next fall, with a list of 20 right now. I obviously need to narrow mine down, but really look into the colleges strengths and weaknesses. Are you interested in greek life, the arts, or engineering? Pick a school that might have more of a focus in your personal strong suit.</p>
<p>@cem2791: You should also be thinking about taking the SAT or ACT and SAT subject tests (if needed) for your Junior year. Both my sons took both SAT/ACT to see if they did better on one vs. the other. Both did significantly better on the ACT so they took a prep class and retook the exam at the end of the Junior year. Do not wait till Senior year. You want to have enough time to retake if you are not happy with your scores. If the colleges need SAT subject tests, you should consider taking them also by end of Junior year or after you have taken your AP exams. My older son took the SAT World HIstory at the end of his Sophomore year after the May AP exam and my younger son took the SAT BIO E after Junior year AP Biology class. You also want to continue any EC’s (4 years if possible). The summer of your Senior year we should be working on your application essays and getting your teacher recommendations lined up. This way everything will be ready for the fall applications and you will have your GPA & Test scores available to help narrow down your college list. Good Luck to you.</p>
<p>Your state school’s application will be up between August and September. Apply right away if you have good stats and your SAT score - for the schools that are rolling admission, the earlier you apply, the easier it is to get in, and it brings so much peace of mind to have one admission in the bag before the common app admission rounds start. 
Then, apply to a couple schools Early Admission (ADMISSION - not “decision” or ED, which is binding, you can only apply to 1, and it’s only good for you if you have excellent stats already but non distinctive ECs + either don’t care about financial aid OR applied to a 100% need school when your EFC is very low. If your EFC is in medium or if it’s unaffordable or if you’re applying to a school that doesn’t meet need, don’t apply ED. EA is non binding so you can demonstrate interest and get an early acceptance.)</p>
<p>As a sophomore, you should be reading The Fiske GUide, and/or The Princeton Review’s and/or Insider’s Guide to the Colleges. Go visit colleges nearby - one state college, one LAC, one medium-size university, and perhaps your flagship. Get an idea of what you need vs. what you want in a college.
Build a rigorous schedule for junior year if you intend to apply to very selective colleges. Among the activities you’re doing sophomore year, is there anyone where you can get really involved and distinguish yourself? Show your commitment and leadership skills by picking your EC’s carefully based on what you really like and are good at.</p>
<p>There are some schools with a limited pool of scholarships that are offered first for earlier applicants, so if those schools and scholarships are of interest, you may want to apply as soon as you can.</p>
<p>During your second semester of junior year, start narrowing down you list of colleges and go visit as many as you can. Also start looking into scholarships and applying to college activities or summer programs if you’d like. </p>
<p>During fall of your senior year, you can apply to most colleges as early as August. If you want to apply for the early decisions, make sure you get your application in early around the usual October/November deadlines. Regular deadlines are usually January so you still have plenty of time if you don’t choose to apply early. You should have your decisions by late December to February if applying early and by early April if applying regular. Like the previous user said, applying early can come with perks like scholarships, honors programs, or higher acceptance rates. </p>
<p>During spring of your senior year, you should have your basic college applications turned in and in the process of completing financial aid. Don’t forget about applying to additional scholarships and school programs. May 1st is the national decision deadline and after that comes housing and registration the beginning of college!</p>
<p>Don’t forget your SATs/ACTs. I recommend taking your first late fall/early spring of junior year and a second summer/early fall of senior year. Keep your GPA high, take APs, and get involved! Good luck!</p>
<p>Isn’t the advice to use the summer before senior year to start writing the college essays needed for those schools you want to apply. The college web sites will have what the topic of the essay is. Not saying you need to finish them during the summer but at least started writing the first draft. So you aren’t rushing to complete these essays during a crunch time of school work and college application deadlines. </p>