If you think that getting ready for college is something that you start to think about when you turn eighteen or when you hit your senior year, you are missing out on a lot of great ways you could be getting ready right now. Colleges (especially really good colleges) are sometimes incredibly selective about the kids that they choose to admit and look at what you have done for the whole four years in High School. They also look at your achievements to determine the amount of financial aid and scholarships (read: money) that they are going to award you. Below are some ideas for whatever grade you are in.

Freshmen
Start thinking about college only after you feel comfortable in the high school scene – or as comfortable as you can be (Is anyone ever really totally comfortable in high school? I doubt it.). Once you have that down, start thinking about college. What do you find most exciting about college. Since most people get degrees in order to get certain jobs according to their interests, look at your interests. How do you want to spend 40 hours per week for the better part of your life? What really excites you? If you are having a hard time with this, set aside a time to talk to a guidance counselor. And don’t feel like you have to get it all figured out in your freshmen year, or even in high school at all. But it is a good time to start seriously thinking about it. Then, start looking at the activities you are doing. Colleges want to admit kids who are really active in extracurricular activities such as volunteering, sports, arts, and other things. But don’t overschedule either. Colleges want to make sure that you have good time management skills because that will be important once you have the freedom of a college schedule.

Sophomores
Continue to think about what your interests are and start trying things out, too. You can follow your interests into a lot of different activities. (Check out the Community Service articles on this site for more ideas on this). Just make sure to do things outside of school while maintaining good grades. Think about taking some AP courses if you can and keep working on those time management skills!

Juniors
While still looking at your interests, doing activities, and working on time management as explained in Freshman and Sophomore year, now you might want to start looking at colleges. Do you have any in mind? Do you want to study far away or stay closer to home? Did your parents or grandparents go to a college that you think you would like? (Often children of alumni can get a special break on tuition). Do some google searches and check things out. You will have to start writing applications in your Senior year. You may also need to start taking standardized tests such as the P-SAT this year. Ask your guidance department for more information.

Seniors
Now is the time to really get crackin’ on that application. Fall of Senior year is the best time. One thing many students don’t realize is that there are application fees of upwards of $50 per application, so unless you or your parents can spend a lot of money on just applications, pick your very favorite colleges to apply. Work closely with your guidance department. They often offer workshops on filling out college applications and writing awesome application essays. Also, be sure to get all the testing that you will need for your particular colleges – SATS and MATS are the most common. But, above all, don’t stress too much. Getting into college is important but not enough to make yourself sick over.