Are you a high school junior thinking about attending college? Congratulations! You’re on the first step towards planning for a successful future. But what should you do next?
The first step is to start sending letters or emails to the colleges that you want to attend. Do this in January of your high school junior year so that you have plenty of time to submit all of the application materials by their due date. The college application process can often be time consuming and require you to write and gather various paperwork, like letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, personal essays, ACT and SAT scores, and sending your transcripts.
Each of these things will take time, so preparation is key here. Plan on asking for information from 5-10 colleges. You don’t have to apply to all of these schools, but this will give you a good sense of what prospective colleges are looking for in their future students. Consider diversifying where you ask for information. Contact a couple of colleges that you have a good chance to get into and a couple of colleges that might be a long shot. Also, contact colleges close to home and away from home. It will be good to compare prices of colleges with both in-state and out-of-state tuition, financial aid assistance, and living costs, so that you know what to plan for.
As you start to gather all of this information, start a list of follow up questions that you come across. Jot down anything that comes to mind, like asking about their acceptance rate, student to teacher ratio, and what the dorm life is like for current students. This whole process can be overwhelming, so ask your parents and mentors for help. They will love to help you plan for your future.
Now take a deep breath and start looking forward to a bright future ahead!
Find out what else you need to do as a junior in high school with Peterson’s.
