Junior Timeline for the College Application Process
We have created the most comprehensive timeline available.
Some of our resource links are repeated because they help in several categories
and apply for more than one year. Go here for over 100 resources:
+100 College Flight Plan Resources
JUNIOR YEAR
Academic Achievement
- Pursue a quality curriculum with AP and Honors courses. Work hard to earn competitive grades. The quality of your curriculum and your GPA are the first two qualifications universities require to be considered for admission. Your extracurricular activities and your essays will be what can keep you in the “yes” pile.
- Study for and take the PSAT (in October), which qualifies students for National Merit Scholarships. Ask your counselor for dates if you don’t have them.
- Get help EARLY from professionals for SAT and ACT preparation. There are specific strategies to follow when taking these tests. Take as many practice tests as possible to learn where you need to improve. Plan which dates you will take the SAT or ACT. Register before the deadlines to avoid late fees.
- If you are sure about your college list, you can use the college codes to send your results directly to the universities when you register. Become knowledgeable about the Super Score option first.
- Meet with your counselor to ask about AP (Advanced Placement) and Honors courses you should take.
- Take AP subject tests after completing each course while the information is fresh in your brain.
- Schedule meetings with your college counselor, but remember, he is so busy. You must take charge of this application process and be proactive in getting answers to your questions. (The national student-to-counselor ratio is 424:1, and in California, it is 900:1. The recommended ratio is 200:1.) Get outside help, if possible.
- If you still plan to play a sport in college, make sure you meet the NCAA requirements. Contact coaches of the schools you want to attend. It is essential to let them know you are very interested in their school. Research the requirements of the NCAA.
Personal Development
- Keep all your social media accounts positive and clean. Expect college admissions officers to look you up.
- Take more assessments to narrow in on the careers you will pursue.
- Stick with your plan to develop your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Take assessments to clarify them. Live by your values and pursue your purpose in life. College admissions officers are looking for students who know what they stand for and have a plan for their lives.
- Hone your time management skills and eliminate bad habits. (Time management is one of the main struggles of college freshmen.)
- Ask professionals about their jobs. Do they like what they do? How much education is required? Ask if you can shadow them for a few days sometime in the future.
- If you haven’t done so already, order personalized note cards to send thank-you notes during the next few years. Develop the skill of writing thank-yous to show gratitude: a much-admired trait.
Extracurricular Activities
- Stay involved in extracurricular activities. Strive for leadership positions in the activities that best suit you. Remember: Colleges are looking for a student with a dedicated interest in a few specific activities rather than a surface interest in many.
- Work with friends to develop entrepreneurial endeavors and find volunteer opportunities to meet a need in your community or another location. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate or time-consuming.
- Plan ahead for your summer activities. Don’t wait until the last minute or many opportunities will be lost. Look for college programs in the areas you want to study. Apply for summer internships, job shadowing, college camps, etc. Some will require essays.
Application Prep
- Set up an email account with your full name on it to be used for all college-related correspondence.
- Attend college fairs and ask interesting questions to the representatives.
- Start to consolidate your college list. Narrow your list down to 10-15 schools with the majors you want to study.
- Visit universities in your area and places you might be vacationing over the summer or for sports competitions. Ask intelligent questions to show your interest in the school.
- Get contact information from each tour guide, admissions person, professor, or coach that you meet during your visit.
- Keep a journal with all the details of your visits to compare them later.
- Send hand-written thank-you notes on personalized stationery (a rare effort these days) to those who helped you better understand the university.
- Refer to your visit details in your application essays using the notes in your journal.
- Research the universities you cannot visit.
- Keep recording any activities, jobs, awards, honors, etc. Keep them in a safe place to use for college, scholarship, and job applications.
- Strengthen your relationships with teachers and faculty. You will be asking some of them to write recommendation letters for your applications next year, so they need to know you.
- Brainstorm ideas for your 650-word Personal Statement for the Common Applications. Start writing your Personal Statement at the end of your junior year and finish by August 1. This gives you time to focus on the supplemental essays many universities require.
- Utilize the college application software your high school uses but don’t rely on it exclusively.
Financial Plan
- Determine the total cost of attending each of the colleges. (Include tuition, books, lodging, and travel.) You can usually find this on the colleges’ websites.
- Talk with your parents about college funding. Create a plan. Get a job and save money, if necessary. Continue to explore possible scholarship opportunities. Find professionals who can help in these areas.
Finish your year strong and sign up for challenging courses for senior year.
SUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEAR
Academic Achievement
- Get help EARLY from professionals for SAT and ACT preparation. There are specific strategies to follow when taking these tests. Take as many practice tests as possible to learn where you need to improve. Plan which dates you will take the SAT or ACT. Register before the deadlines to avoid late fees.
- If you are sure about your college list, you can use the college codes to send your results directly to the universities when you register. Become knowledgeable about the Super Score option first.
- If you still plan to play a sport in college, make sure you meet the NCAA requirements. Contact coaches of the schools you want to attend. It is essential to let them know you are very interested in their school. You will still have to apply and be accepted by the university. Research the requirement of the NCAA.
Personal Development
- Stick with your plan to develop your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Take assessments to clarify them. Live by your values and pursue your purpose in life. College admissions officers are looking for students who know what they stand for and have a plan for their lives.
- Make decisions about the majors that best fit your natural abilities and interests.
- Be sure to keep all your social media posts positive and appropriate. Expect admissions officers to take a look at them when considering your attendance.
- Hone your time management skills and other positive habits. (Time management is one of the main struggles of college freshmen.)
- Ask professionals about their jobs. Do they like what they do? How much education is required? Ask if you can shadow them for a few days sometime in the future.
- Hopefully, you have ordered personalized note cards to send thank-you notes. Develop the skill of writing thank-yous to show gratitude: a much-admired trait.
Extracurricular Leadership
- Strive for leadership positions in the activities that best suit you. Remember: Colleges are looking for a student with a dedicated interest in a few specific activities rather than a surface interest in many.
- Work with friends to develop entrepreneurial endeavors and find volunteer opportunities to meet a need in your community or another location. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate or time-consuming.
Application Success
Most applications are available to complete starting August 1st. Develop a plan for how and when you will get this application work completed. It takes more time than you think to do it correctly and get a compelling application out the door. Seek guidance in the areas where you need it. +100 College Flight Plan Resources
- Set up an email account with your full name on it to be used for all college-related correspondence.
- Keep all your social media accounts positive and clean. Colleges will research you.
- Finalize your college list. Narrow your list down to 8-10 schools with your major and the qualities you are looking for in a school. Include some more selective schools and a few safety schools.
- Send your ACT or SAT scores to the colleges on your list per their instructions if you did not include them when registering for the test. Review Superscore options before you send them.
- Create your application accounts. The Common App is accepted by over 900 universities. Students applying to a University of California school must open a UC account. Some universities require students to apply on their websites.
- Write your 650-word Personal Statement for the Common Application. Create your essays in Google Docs and cut and paste them into your applications.
- If you are applying to the University of California schools, choose which 4 of the 8 Person Insight prompts you would like to answer. Write the four 350-word essays required. You will be able to adjust some of these essays to fit the supplemental essay prompts from other universities.
- Write your 650-word essay for the Coalition Application if you are using it.
- Create a document with detailed descriptions of your activities, jobs, awards, honors, etc. Describe your leadership roles in each activity. This will make it easier when you have to fill in your applications. Have someone proofread your descriptions before you enter them.
- Common App Activities Section only allows 150 characters (not words) to describe each activity, including what you accomplished and any recognition you received.
- UC Activities Section allows more characters (250-350). It will require you to go into more detail about how you earned an award, program descriptions, your responsibilities, your experience, description of your leadership, etc.
- Create a simple resume summarizing your high school accomplishments and activities. You will use this for job searches, summer pursuits, and people who recommend you.
- Make a list of the people you would like to write Letters of Recommendation for you. Prepare a packet for each one that contains your resume, unofficial transcript, and a description of your strengths, values, goals, purpose, and plans for the future. Don’t forget to thank them for doing this for you.
- Visit universities in your area and places you might be vacationing over the summer or for sports competitions. Ask intelligent questions to show your interest in the school.
- Get contact information from each tour guide, admissions person, professor, or coach that you meet during your visit.
- Keep a journal with all the details of your visits to compare them later.
- Send hand-written thank-you notes on personalized stationery (a rare effort these days) to those who helped you better understand the university.
- Refer to your visit details in your application essays using the notes in your journal.
- Research the universities you cannot visit.
- Call the admissions offices of your universities to request an interview with alumni in your area. Immediately send thank-you notes to interviewers. Same day! You will stand out from the other candidates if you make this effort.
- Call the admissions office with well-thought-out questions. This will demonstrate your interest, and records of these calls will go into your file.
- Attend college fairs and ask interesting questions to the representatives.
Financial Arrangements
- Determine the total cost of attending each of the colleges. (Include tuition, books, lodging, and travel.) You can usually find this on the colleges’ websites.
- Get all the FAFSA information together to make it simple to fill out the form on October 1st.
- Continue to find more scholarships. Most will require you to write an essay. Find professionals who can help in these areas. Search for student loans if necessary.
