Getting the College Search Process Started

Sophomore Year

Start by thinking about yourself. What are your interests? Your skills? Dreams? Making a list of your favorite subjects will help you narrow down your choices. Be truthful. Some other things to consider:

• Large or small?
• Public or private?
• Urban or rural?
• Co-ed or single-gender?
• Religious or secular?

Don’t worry if you don’t know what subjects you want to study yet. At this point, it’s more important to keep your options open.

A strong high school record of academic success and extracurricular involvement is important to most colleges. During your sophomore year you should prepare yourself academically by taking upper level classes when you can and by striving for good grades. Get involved with extracurricular activities and cultivate relationships with teachers who might be able to give guidance—and write recommendation letters—in the future.

And don’t forget, sophomore year is not too early to get a feel for college life by visiting nearby institutions with your parents.

Junior Year

By the end of your junior year, you should develop a list of five to 10 colleges or universities that might fit your future. During the summer before your senior year, visit those campuses to get a feel for what they offer and to see if you might fit in there.

Junior year is the time to take standardized tests. Most colleges or universities require either the SAT or the ACT, and some also require SAT Subject Tests. Check with the colleges you’re interested in to see which tests they require.

Continue to challenge yourself in school with honors and AP classes where appropriate. Many colleges and universities also recommend that applicants take four years of English, math, science, social sciences, and modern languages.

Stay involved in extracurricular activities and begin to take on leadership roles that will gain you experience and good topics for college interviews and essays. It’s also a good time to start thinking about which teachers you could ask to write recommendations.

Senior Year

Senior year is the time to continue campus visits (we think sitting in on college classes is particularly helpful). It’s also time to narrow your selections, and complete your applications.

Take note of admission and financial aid deadlines. If you are thinking about applying Early Action/Decision, you may have to submit your application in early November.

Many colleges require essays, and we recommend that you get started on them early. Share them with your teachers and guidance counselors for edits and ideas to make your essay stand out from the rest.

A final thought: Don’t give in to senioritis. Continue to challenge yourself academically and earn good grades. It tells colleges that you are serious about your academics and are truly interested in learning. Many colleges and universities require an updated transcript after the end of the school year, and some may revoke admission if grades show a notable drop.