The college process can be overwhelming. There are a lot of time sensitive components, and with a laundry list of things to do, deadlines approach quickly. As a junior, it’s easy to put off focusing on college until your senior year. However, that often isn’t the best strategy. As a senior going through the process myself, I wish I had an article that clearly outlined when to start focusing on different elements of the college process.

1. Start touring schools the summer going into your junior year.

If your a student who plans to go to a university or college outside the state you live in, it’s best to allot plenty of time to visit schools your interested in. Often, students plan to apply to multiple schools because they want options. Starting the process of touring schools early, allows you to plan out visits in advance and save money for the trip.

1. Always go on official tours of the university/college

Going along with tip one, I highly recommend going on guided tours of the schools you’re interested in rather than just walking around the campus yourself. Often, you can sign up for them through the school’s website. Make sure to sign up months in advance because tours can fill fast. These tours are often led by guides who are students themselves and can give a different perspective on the campus. Also, the tours are filled with a lot of information about the campus and the application process for that specific school that may impact your opinion.

1. Take your SAT/ACT when you are in algebra II or soon after you’ve completed the course

The difficulty of math skills on the SAT/ACT only go up to algebra II. Although, math is only one component of these exams, taking the test when the material on the test is fresh is your brain is beneficial. Ensuring you get a good SAT or ACT score is essential and often students take it a minimum of two times to achieve their desired score. Don’t wait until your learning higher level math to take the exams because the complexity of the math you’re currently in can cloud your ability to do the level of math on the exam. Also, most students take algebra II their sophomore or junior year so this provides you plenty of time to retake the exam many times if needed before colleges require them to be submitted.  

1. Apply early action to as many schools as you can

Early action is a non-binding application process that requires you to submit your application earlier than the regular decision date, however, you receive your decision sooner than students who apply for regular decision. Although, you may not think this is important, colleges give scholarships to their early action accepted students over regular decision students because they review their applications first. Also, some schools have higher acceptance rates for early action applicants. Please read about the decision plans for the schools your interested in to ensure you take the path that works best for you.

1. Start your applications the summer before your senior year

I know the summer is suppose to be a break from work but trust me, this will save you a lot of stress in the future. I suggest finishing as much of your application as you can over the summer, especially your college essay because it will elevate the stress of having to do it while also working on school work. Also, many colleges with lower acceptance rates require short answers that average 150-350 words a piece. Finishing your main essay early allows you to prioritize short answers because these are very important. Essays and short answers are the only way the college is getting an insight on your individuality. Another perk to getting started early is you know what is required for the application so you can ask for recommendations from teachers before other students do. Likely, if you are one of the first students to ask a teacher they will spend more time on your recommendation because they haven’t already written a lot.