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Course selection, grades, and academic planning
Final exam preparation
Final exam preparation
Verify A-G compliance
Verify continued A-G compliance as 11 of 15 A-G courses must be complete by end of junior year
Submit junior course requests
Submit course requests for junior year
Consider junior AP classes
Consider which AP classes to take junior year
Advocate for course placement
Advocate for yourself if not initially placed in desired courses
Confirm junior schedule
Confirm junior year schedule
Confirm rigorous courses
Confirm enrollment in increasingly rigorous courses
Extracurriculars, leadership, and community involvement
Document achievements
Document all achievements and hours
Narrow to meaningful activities
Narrow focus to 3-5 meaningful activities emphasizing depth over breadth
Develop your spike
Begin developing your spike - the area where you'll become exceptional
Plan passion project execution
Plan passion project execution for summer
Pursue meaningful summer experience
Pursue meaningful summer experience in your area of focus such as research internship passion project or leadership
Run for leadership positions
Run for leadership positions as elections are often held in spring for following year
Document sophomore activities
Document all sophomore year activities and achievements
Personal statements and supplemental essays
FAFSA, CSS Profile, and scholarships
College research, visits, and strategic planning
Submit selective summer apps
Submit applications for selective summer programs with December-January deadlines like SSP COSMOS and pre-college programs
Apply to March deadline programs
Apply to March deadline programs like RSI MITES Boys/Girls State and Governor's Schools
Plan junior year courses
Meet with counselor to plan junior year courses as this is the most critical year
Finalize summer plans
Finalize summer plans
Discuss summer plans as family
Discuss summer plans as a family balancing academics activities and rest
Create preliminary college list
Begin creating preliminary college list with 10-20 schools across selectivity levels
Research summer research programs
Begin researching summer research programs as many applications are due December-March
Visit college campuses
Visit 2-4 college campuses nearby or during vacation
Research competitive summer programs
Research competitive summer programs with December-March deadlines like SSP Stanford SIMR and local university programs
Identify college priorities
Identify what matters to you: size location programs culture cost
SAT, ACT, PSAT, and AP exam preparation
Take PSAT 10
Take PSAT 10 in October as practice for PSAT/NMSQT junior year - doesn't count for National Merit
Take AP exams
Take AP exams if enrolled in AP courses
Take official SAT or ACT
CRITICAL: Take official SAT or ACT if scores are near target
Take practice SAT and ACT
Take full-length practice SAT AND practice ACT to determine which test suits you better
Analyze PSAT results
After PSAT results in 4-6 weeks analyze score report to identify focus areas