Junior year is important for preparing for college.  Beginning on January 1^st you should have a 12-month calendar with the steps you need to accomplish as you plan to apply to schools.

January                               Consider taking the SATs just to see how you are doing.  One of the best ways to practice is to put yourself through the whole test at least once.  Registrations are due December 30^th.  Have you made a list of 10 colleges you might be interested in seeing?  This list should be based on your PSAT scores and where you think your SAT scores will be, in addition to your GPA, activities, and interests.  Are you an A student who wants a good program in health sciences and who wants to ski in your free time?  Can you find a college that will fit all your criteria?

February              You may want to visit some colleges, especially ones that are close or that you are not that worried about getting in to, as a first try at presenting yourself to a college.  Call in advance, register for a tour and information session, introduce yourself to the receptionist and to the person who leads the session, and ask a question.  These are all easy ways to ways to “warm up” to the college application process.

March                   If you did not take the SAT in January, consider taking it this month.  This is also the month to begin practicing for the SAT test by doing practice questions and by reading about what you need to know for the test.

April                       More college visits?  This is a great time, but make sure they are not hosting accepted seniors for open campus.  There may be some dates you will have to avoid.

May                       Maine juniors are required to take the SAT.  AP exams are given in May also.

June                      If you need to take SAT subject tests (and only certain colleges require them) this is the month to do that.  Choose the subject areas you have done the best in.  Take a practice test before you take the real thing to make sure your pacing is right and so you know the range of topics covered.  Before you leave school, ask two of your teachers if they would be willing to write letters of recommendation for you.

July                        Make sure you have visited enough colleges so that you can make a good decision about where to apply.  Application fees are about $60 per school.  You want to spend your money wisely.   Also, what are you doing with your summer off?  You will want to tell your colleges about how you spent your time.  Working, volunteering, or taking a summer course are all good uses of your time.

August                  The Common Application becomes available on line.  Start to fill it out.  You will be glad you got some of this work done when you are very busy later in the school year!  Have a rough draft of your personal statement all ready to go.

September         Plan to go back and revisit and interview at the schools that are at the top of your list—namely three to five of them.  This is assuming you did not do an interview during your first visit, the college is easy to get to, and the college requires or recommends an interview.  Some very large schools do not offer interviews to all applicants.  Some schools are too far away to visit more than once.  Another great thing to do while you are on campus is to attend a class.  Some schools also host overnight visits in the dorms.  You will not want to invest the time and money to do this kind of intense visit at more than one or two schools.  But taking the time to really explore the college may be important in helping you feel good about your choice freshman year.

October               The SATs are offered again, but this test date is really just for fine-tuning your results.  If you are taking a language subject test, this is a good time since you have had an additional few months of learning.  You should not expect to get markedly different scores at this point in your application process.   Narrow your list to schools you fit with comfortably.

November          The first Early Decision applications are due.  Make sure you have polished your essays and proofread your entire application VERY carefully.

December           By this time next year, you could be getting an acceptance letter!  All applications should be finished by January 1.  Good luck.