JANUARY—AUGUST
• Plan a family college discussion.
• Review your courses with your high school counselor.
• Research potential colleges through websites such as collegeview.com, fastweb.com, and princetonreview.com
• Gather information about different colleges by looking at colleges web pages and requesting college view books, and catalogs and (you may request applications during the summer).
• Schedule to take the ACT, SAT or both. Contact the counseling center for registration materials and test dates.
• Develop a personal resume of your activities and interests; build your resume by getting a job or do volunteer work.
• Plan and make college visits; prepare a list of questions to ask college reps .
• Investigate and attend college fairs.
• Talk with your college friends who are home on break.
• Begin to search for scholarships.
• Get and stay organized. Create files to keep copies of applications and correspondence. Set up a calendar to track important dates and deadlines.
• Ask for letters of recommendation.