June

• Update your student résumé to include freshman year activities and accomplishments.

• Continue to think about college majors. Conduct research on careers that may spark interest in a specific major; talk with your parents and counselor.

• Be active this summer : Work a job or internship, provide volunteer service, take an advanced credit course, attend a college summer enrichment program or perform other activities. Use summer months wisely to build your student résumé.

• If your summer activities include a job, internship, or volunteer service, give it your all and be outstanding. Work to impress your bosses and supervisors; these are people you may ask for letters of recommendation in the fall of your senior year . . . but only if you do an excellent job for them this summer.

• If interested, visit a few college campuses this summer.

• Continue to build your vocabulary by reading during summer months (and throughout the year).

• Continue to build strong academic, language and critical thinking skills during your four years of high school.

• Parents – Plan to help your student with planning and tracking activities that prepare them for the college admission process.

July

• Start / continue saving money for college. It’s smart to save, but beware of pitfalls.

• Start thinking about the cost of college and how much you and your family can afford. Knowing how much you can afford may help with deciding which colleges and universities to apply to in fall of your senior year.

• If you wish to get a head start on the financial aid process, start researching scholarships. Some scholarships are available for high school sophomores.

• If you want to play collegiate sports, take the steps necessary in increase your eligibility and to market your athletic abilities.

• Obtain a Social Security Card (if you don’t already have one). A Social Security number is required for college applications, standardized tests, and financial aid.

August

• Make sure this fall’s course curriculum is as rigorous as you can handle. Take Advance Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and/or Honors classes. The level of difficulty of student coursework is one of the most important factors college admissions officers analyze when deciding on accepting applicants for admission. You should take Geometry (if you haven’t already done so), English, a second year of Foreign Language, and a college prep science class.

• Plan to meet with your high school/college-career counselor at least every six months to ensure you are on target for graduating high school and fulfilling college admission requirements. Take a rigorous course curriculum that includes courses required for college admission as well as courses beyond those minimum requirements. Take difficult courses to impress college admission officers and to demonstrate you are ready for the competitive college scene.

• Plan to compete in contests, matches, and challenges. Earn honors and awards to build your student résumé.

• Earn top grades this year to have the highest possible GPA and class rank.

• Plan to be a leader in a few extracurricular activities this school year. Leadership is one of the most valuable student qualifications sought by college admission officers.

September

• Make sure your course curriculum meets the goals of your four-year plan for high school graduation and college admission. Take AP, IB and Honors courses. Check with your high school/college-career on your progress and revise your plan as needed.

• Join academic programs and organizations that recognize high-achieving students. Joining organizations that require student members to earn excellent grades will look good on your college applications. See your high school/college-career counselor for instructions on membership.

• Focus your extracurricular interests on activities you are passionate about. Your activities should be those you are prepared to keep involved with throughout your high school career; ideally, activities should support your student theme. A high level of involvement and accomplishment in a few activities is more important than participating in numerous activities on a surface level.

• Take on leadership roles in some of your extracurricular activities. Leadership is one of the most valuable student qualifications sought by college admission officers.

• Register for the PLAN® assessment program test. The PLAN test does not have national testing dates, so see your counselor about test dates at your high school.

• Register for the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test® (PSAT/NMSQT). The PSAT/NMSQT is good practice for next year’s SAT Reasoning Test; test results will not be used for college admission. See your counselor to register.

• Visit with college representatives who travel to your high school. Remember to be professional in all interactions with college and university representatives.

October

• Take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test® (PSAT/NMSQT). On the test sheet, check the box that releases your name to colleges so you can start receiving information from them.

• Take the PLAN® assessment program test. This pre-ACT® test will help you prepare for next year’s ACT test®.

• Attend college fairs (or “college nights”) hosted by your high school or other nearby schools. Speak with college representatives and pick up information to learn about options for college.

• Visit with college representatives who travel to your high school this fall. Ask questions to determine if their school may be a good fit for you. Remember to be professional in all interactions with college and university representatives.

• Keep thinking about your interests and possible college majors. Meet with your high school/college-career counselor to talk about college majors and possible careers. Continue to develop a relationship with your counselor so he/she can get to know you and your interests.

• Develop teacher and upperclassmen relationships. Plan to use teachers and older high school students as mentors. Learn what you can from college-bound students going through the college admission process so you will be better prepared when you begin the process in spring of your junior year.

November

• Research the types of colleges and universities you may wish to attend and discuss college costs with your parent(s).

• Learn about financial aid. Merit-based scholarships are awarded based on your GPA, so do well in your coursework.

• Complete applications for sophomore scholarships with fall deadlines. Apply for national scholarships in which your qualifications match scholarship criteria.

• Research college summer enrichment programs for high school students. If you find a summer program of interest, start the application process next month.

December

• Review the results of the PLAN® assessment test and the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test® (PSAT/NMSQT) to identify areas of academic weakness. Work with your teachers, counselors, and parents to register for courses that will help improve your weak areas so you earn the highest scores possible on ACT and SAT tests you will take next year.

• Register for SAT Subject test(s)™ if your high school uses transition block scheduling (in which year-long courses are completed in one semester). Take SAT Subject Tests™ in January for the courses completed this fall. It’s better to take SAT Subject Tests™ as soon as you’ve completed the relevant class instead of waiting until later.

• Investigate college summer enrichment programs for high school students. Start filling out application materials for programs you wish to attend.

• Do well on your final exams this semester. Earn the impressive grades needed for admission to college and to receive merit-based scholarships.

• Visit with high school friends who are home from college on winter break. Try to get an overall picture of what to expect from college life.

January

• Update your student résumé. Include all accomplishments and activities from fall semester.

• Based on last semester’s grades, join academic programs and organizations that recognize high-achieving students. See your high school counselor for instructions on membership.

• Check with your high school/college-career counselor on your progress with achieving your four-year plan. Update your four-year plan to match revisions made to your education / career goals.

• Study hard this spring semester to earn top grades so you can have the highest possible GPA and class rank.

• Continue to develop respectful, hard-working relationships with your teachers. Good relationships result in superior letters of recommendation when you apply for college admission and scholarships.

• Apply for college summer enrichment programs of interest. Meet all application deadlines.

• Continue participating in extracurricular activities (inside and outside of school). Dedicate yourself to a few extracurricular activities and work toward leadership positions. Leadership is one of the most valuable student qualification sought by college admission officers.

• Take SAT Subject Test(s)™ this month (if you have transition block scheduling and registered to take SAT Subject Test(s)™).

February

• Register for next year’s junior level courses. Make sure to follow your four-year plan for high school graduation and college preparation. Sign up for the most challenging curriculum you can handle. See your high school/college-career counselor for registration instructions and deadlines.

• Register to take AP tests if you are enrolled in AP courses. Work with your AP course teachers to make sure you are registered to take the tests in May.

• Attend college fairs this spring. Remember to be professional in all interactions with college and university representatives.

• Visit with college representatives who come to your high school this spring. Read information and ask questions to see if their school may be a good fit for you.

• It’s never too soon to begin searching for colleges and universities. Think about your ideal college or university and its characteristics; begin searching for colleges and universities that fit your needs.

  
  

March

• Register for the SAT Subject Tests™ covering courses you took this year while the material is fresh in your mind. You should take Subject Tests as soon as possible after completing the relevant course in that subject.

• Begin thinking seriously about your career goals and interests. Researching career options may help you decide on a college major.

• Think about job shadowing. Contact professionals in your home town that will permit you to accompany them for a day to observe what they do. Professionals can offer valuable insights about careers and what it takes to get a job in that field.

• Research college factors important to you to help research colleges that best fit your needs.

• If you have identified colleges of interest, consider visiting their campuses during spring break.

• Start thinking about summer activities – Work a job or internship, provide volunteer service, take an advanced credit course, a community college class, or perform another activity to build your student résumé.

April

• If the organizations and clubs you are involved with hold elections for next year’s leadership positions, become a candidate and run for office.

• Continue to build hard-working, respectful relationships with teachers and counselor(s) through the entire semester.

• Research opportunities for summer employment, internships, volunteering, or coursework. Use summer months wisely to develop and improve your student résumé.

• Continue to research career options and consider possible college majors.

• If you’re interested in attending a military academy after high school graduation, request information to learn about that academy and their admission requirements.

• Continue to study hard to earn top grades. High GPA’s open college admission doors.

May

• Take AP tests this month.

• Campaign for a leadership position in organizations or clubs you will be involved with next year (become a club president, run for class office, create and lead a new club, be the student leader in a community organization, etc.). Leadership experience is one of the most highly prized student qualifications sought by college admission officers.

• Sign up for summer activities – Work a job or internship, provide volunteer service, take an advanced credit or community college course, or enroll in college summer enrichment program.

• Prepare to take SAT Subject Tests™ next month.

• Do well on your final exams next month. Earn the impressive grades needed to be admitted to college and to earn merit-based scholarships.

• Take action to insure you will receive excellent recommendations from teachers, counselors and coaches. Say goodbye before you leave school for the summer and demonstrate some of the personal qualities college admission officers are seeking - be engaged and caring.

• Update your student résumé to include sophomore year activities and accomplishments.

• If you want to play collegiate sports, take the steps necessary in increase your eligibility and to market your athletic abilities.

• Plan to work hard this summer to impress your employers, supervisors or course instructors; these are people you may ask for letters of recommendation in the fall of your senior year . . . but only if you do an excellent job for them this summer.

• If you will have a job this summer, save as much money as possible for college. However, beware of pitfalls.

• If interested in attending a military academy after high school graduation, contact an academy representative and plan to start the application process next year.

• Continue to think about college majors of interest throughout the summer. Conduct research on possible careers that may spark interest in a specific major.

• Consider taking a summer road trip to visit college campuses this coming summer.

• Continue to discuss college options and costs with your parents over the summer. Keep in mind a small, private university may offer you substantial scholarships and cost you less than other schools that offer very little financial aid.

• Be prepared to implement the junior year admission strategy starting in June. The junior admission strategy makes clear the importance of emphasizing student strengths and uniqueness to show that extra “something” that sets you apart from other student applicants.

• Parents - Plan to help your student with the college preparation and admission process over the next two years. Get informed and help with the important decisions ahead.