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Juniors

College Preparation & Planning for Juniors

September

If you haven’t already, now is the time to begin thinking about what type of college you will attend. What are the advantages and disadvantages of small, medium, and large colleges or universities? Will you search locally or farther from home? What are you doing to prepare for admission to these schools?

Make plans to explore or visit several different types of colleges or universities. At this point, it is the most important that you get a feel for the options that may be out there. Once you decide upon the type of school, then you can narrow your search to specific schools. You won’t know if you like the feel of a large of small school unless and until you visit one or two of each. Put aside your pre-existing assumptions, and make the visits. You may find that your preconceived notions do not match reality.

Contact colleges that interest you to learn about opportunities for “preview events” for prospective freshmen.

For colleges, your junior year through first semester of your senior year marks the most important time period during high school. It is the portion of your high school experience that will be most closely scrutinized. Make this year count!

Make an appointment with the Guidance department to review your college planning efforts. Based upon the selectivity of the colleges you are considering, he can help guide you regarding academic, co-curricular, leadership, and service expectations for admission to each tier of college.

Plan when you will take the high school SAT. We administer the ACT in the spring. We recommend that all students sit for at least two, but up to three tests-generally once or twice in the junior year (or summer in between) and once in the fall of your senior year. Most colleges will only consider your “super score,” taking the highest score from the three tests (one score from each section)**

Consider purchasing and reviewing an SAT or ACT preparation manual. On average, students who use the SAT preparation programs improve their scores by more than 100 points. There are many that will suffice, but Kaplan and Princeton Review offer two of the better options available.

Deadline: If you plan to take the SAT or ACT in October, you must usually register by the first week of September. Generally, we recommend waiting until the November test date since it allows just a little more progress in the area of mathematics. Note: If you do not select the colleges to which your scores should be reported at the time of registration or shortly after test day, you must pay a fee for score reports. However, we suggest that you NOT report your scores until you know that they are good. Please ensure that your scores are reported to North Hills Christian School. Our College Board Code is 343-501.

Register for the November SAT

Click here to register for the SAT

October

Consider attending college fairs* See Guidance Counselor for more information.

Deadline: If you plan to take the SAT in November, you must usually register by the first week of October.

Register for the December SAT now.

 

November

Deadline: If you plan to take the SAT in December, you must usually register by the first week of November.

Register for the January SAT now.

Begin researching college scholarships through the Internet and college websites.

 

December

Deadline: If you plan to take the SAT in January, you must usually register by the first week of December. Generally, we recommend waiting until the November test date since it allows just a little more progress in the area of mathematics.

 

January

Register for the March SAT now.

 

February

Deadline: If you plan to take the SAT in March, you must usually register by the first week of February.

 

March/Early April

Register for the May or June SAT now.

Begin preparing a college resume or portfolio that highlights your academic achievements, special honors and awards, as well as your co-curricular, service, and leadership involvement.** See Guidance Counselor for more information.

Narrow down your college choices to about 5 potential schools. 

Make of list of people of whom you might ask for letters of recommendation.