<p>When should you start with the whole college admissions stuff? I'm a junior now and have been tentatively looking about, but don't know if I'm doing it way to early or not! What are some good guidelines for when to start the whole searching for good schools thing?</p>
<p>No, you are not doing it way too early. Start thinking about what you are looking for in a college - large/small, university/LAC, location, majors offered, type of social scene, activities offered, etc. Start visiting colleges. Even if you are not interested in your local colleges, visit them to help you get an idea of what you like/don't like. Research colleges either through a "big book" of college information, by websites, etc.</p>
<p>Plan your testing strategy - what entrance tests will you need to take, when do you plan to take them.</p>
<p>Think about your teacher and counselor recommendations - do they know you well enough to write good recommendations? Are you a leader in class?</p>
<p>Discuss with your parents financial expectations/limitations. Are you going to need to look for scholarships?</p>
<p>There's a whole lot to do in this process before you complete an application, and the sooner you get started, the better prepared you will be.</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply, fireflyscout! :)</p>
<p>It's hard for me to do things like visit colleges, because I live in Europe. I've been thinking of maybe visiting some this summer, when I go to USA. Is it very important to have visited the places you apply to? </p>
<p>I'll be doing the SAT in the spring. Is it a good idea to do the SATII tests then as well? </p>
<p>Teacher recommendations should be ok, I think. The councelor recommendation worries me a bit. The councelor at my school has no clue whatsoever about colleges outside the country, and has no contact with us students really. Must the councelor recommendation be from the person who has the job as councelor, or can it be from my coordinator (I'm in IB), who knows me and who gives advice and stuff and is in charge of us in my class?</p>
<p>Oh no... The financial stuff. Are there any good websites that explain how to go about that?</p>
<p>Junior year is the right time to start looking for schools and preparing for college.</p>
<p>You should do fine starting now, but earlier is better than later. Study for the SATs or take a prep course. Get your parents involved now. Find out how much they can afford. This is very important. If you don't have any ECs, at least join one or two. By the end of junior year, you should have a list of schools to apply to. Many people work on the essays during the summer after junior year. Do so, if possible. Visits are not required of anyone, and the fact that you are living outside the US is a good excuse. If you can visit some of your top choices, great. Otherwise, you can just apply without visiting.</p>
<p>Junior year is a really good time to start looking and preparing.
I wish I'd started then.</p>
<p>Buy the College Board blue book (The Official SAT Study Guide) and start taking practice SAT tests now. Go over ALL your answers - the right ones and the wrong ones. Try to figure out exactly what they're looking for.</p>
<p>Buy a big ole college catalog - Fiske or whatever and just start looking through it. If one interests you, research it further on its web site, on here, or other sites.</p>
<p>Get out from a library (?) or buy the book "Colleges That Change Lives."</p>
<p>Try to think about what kind of college you'd like to be at - big, small, urban, rural, Greek, sporty, quirky, or whatever.</p>
<p>Have your parents fill out the financial aid calculator. If you don't qualify for need based aid start researching which schools might give you merit aid. <a href="http://www.collegeconfidential.com/financial_aid/efc/index.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeconfidential.com/financial_aid/efc/index.htm</a></p>
<p>Subscribe to the US News Premium College online web site. I think it's the best $15 you can spend.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Lots of colleges admissions sites will have "timelines" with suggestions for where you ought to be in the college selection/application process. I've seen this one recently (from Wesleyan) and it contains very detailed, practical advice:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Get out from a library (?) or buy the book "Colleges That Change Lives."
[/quote]
definitely get this book. most of the colleges I'm applying to are in it.</p>
<p>If you can't visit colleges, there are several ways to get a feel for the campus. Check the college websites for virtual tours. Videos of the admissions tours are sold by Collegiate Choice (definitely not slick marketing videos). Check blogs on livejournal, xanga, myspace, facebook, etc. Some colleges post their newspapers online. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>