Action Plan: High School Juniors

Fall

At school, sign up early to take the PSAT/NMSQT® in October. Get PSAT/NMSQT tips and a free practice test.

Start with you: Make lists of your abilities, preferences, and personal qualities. List things you may want to study and do in college.
Jumpstart your college planning by reading about majors and careers.
Use College Search to find colleges with the right characteristics.

Talk to your counselor about your college plans and attend college night and financial aid night at your school. Use financial aid calculators to estimate your aid eligibility and college costs.

You can take either the SAT Reasoning Test™ or up to three SAT Subject Tests™ on one test day. Plan your testing schedule carefully if you want to take both types of SAT®. See the SAT schedule of test dates and register online for the SAT.
Use the access code on your PSAT/NMSQT score report to sign in to My College QuickStart™. With this personalized planning kit, you can prepare for the SAT using a study plan based on your PSAT/NMSQT results and explore lists of suggested colleges, majors, and careers.

Visit the SAT Preparation Center™ to take a free full-length official practice test and get a score and skills report. Be sure to sign up for The Official SAT Question of the Day™ for daily practice.

Start visiting local colleges: large, small, public, and private. Get a feel for what works for you. Develop a list of 15-20 colleges that interest you. Search for colleges and use My College List.

Do well on AP Exams and receive credit or placement at most colleges. Get AP Exam preparation.

Review your senior year class schedule with your counselor. Challenge yourself with honors and AP classes and stick with sequences you've begun, in the languages, for example. Read about how to select your courses.
Plan summer activities early. Enrich yourself by volunteering, getting an interesting job or internship, or signing up for special summer learning programs.

Visit colleges. Take campus tours and, at colleges you're serious about, schedule interviews with admissions counselors. Be sure to bring your campus visit checklist.
Request applications from colleges to which you'll apply. Check important dates; some universities have early dates or rolling admissions. Consult the College Application Calendar and the Financial Aid Calendar for a basic idea of the applications timeline.