The process for applying to college may seem very simple, but it’s really not. There are so many steps you must take when applying for college. It is very important to stay organized and keep up with dates/deadlines that you have to meet by a certain time. There are several steps in preparing for college: make sure you have met all the requirements needed to apply to specific colleges, take certain tests, start looking up colleges you are interested in, find scholarships, set up school visits, write your essays, and send your transcripts.

Junior year is the most important year in the the college planning process. This is the time where you start thinking about what colleges you are thinking of applying to and narrowing down your choices. The key to making your junior year successful is by staying on track with your classes and grades. Meeting with your counselor to see what classes you still need to take, is helpful as well. According to Nyra Pope and Daniel Laster, their junior year was the hardest time. Daniel also stated that he lost a lot of sleep staying up doing homework and projects.

When applying for college you should also consider when you would like to start; whether it be in the fall, winter, spring, or summer. Each season has a different applying procedure, making it difficult to keep up with. Time management is essential to your success during senior year. Start working on a plan that will incorporate your classes, homework schedules, extracurricular activities, and your work place. Juniors and seniors should take the SAT as many times as possible to improve their test scores. As Gabe Walker stated in his interview “the SAT was a long process, it felt like I was in jail taking a test for hours, but at the end of the day I got through it.”

When deciding where to apply, visiting colleges will help narrow down your choices. You should know what your future schools have to offer and their requirements to get in. Picking a school based on where your friends have applied to may not always be the right choice. You must pick the college that best fits you and that has everything for your major included.

Always be a step ahead in everything you do. Make sure you take the time to sit down and explore all of your options before settling for just any college. Pick the college that best fits you and you major. Also meet the requirements that are given to you by the schools you apply too and your college planning process will go smoothly.