Junior Year Action Plan
September
- Confirm that you are in the right courses by reviewing your transcript. Any courses that you have failed and did not attend summer school will need to be repeated.
- When reviewing your schedule of courses, keep in mind whether they are challenging enough to get into the college or school of your choice, and that they reflect your future plans for career and/or major.
- Register for the October PSAT (Practice SAT).
- Get involved in at least one new after school activity. Try to develop some leadership experience in school or outside activities.
- Begin to keep track of all of your achievements and activities for a future resume that you will develop.
- Make sure you have an email address
- Throughout the school year, keep your focus on your grades. You’ll want your grades to be as strong as possible.
October
- Take the PSAT
- Talk with teachers, family members, and other adults about the colleges they attended
- Explore career and college interests by consulting websites and books
- Attend Durfee’s College Fair, or other local fairs
- Visit colleges to which you may apply senior year. This can be done by scheduling an appointment with the admissions office, or attend an open house.
- If you have not done so already, sign up for the free scholarship searches through collegeboard.com, fastweb.com, and finaid.org
- Begin studying for the SAT and ACT. Check out www.act.org and www.collegeboard.com for practice questions
- Junior interviews with guidance counselors begin
November
- Continue your research in potential colleges and careers.
- Continue gathering materials for your resume.
- Visit colleges to which you may apply senior year
- Apply for any scholarships through your free scholarship search
December
- Once you receive your PSAT scores, make plans for how to maximize the good and how to improve the rest.
- Look ahead in the Spring and plan when you are going to take the SAT I, SATII Subject Tests, and/or the ACT (see the SAT/ACT icon on this website). Remember for most four year colleges, both tests are acceptable (check with the colleges to which you may apply for the test(s) they require).
- Visit colleges to which you may apply senior year
- Stay focused on grades
- Apply for any scholarships through your free scholarship search
January
- Continue your research on potential colleges and careers
- Stay focused on grades.
- Apply for any scholarships through your free scholarship search
- Continue preparing for the SAT and ACT
- Visit colleges to which you may apply senior year
February
- Begin to focus on the key 8 to 10 colleges that are a good fit (based upon your academics and career choice).
- Choose your senior year schedule, making sure it is challenging and contains classes relevant to your major and career choice
- Stay focused on grades
- Apply for any scholarships through your free scholarship search
- Visit colleges to which you may apply senior year
March
- Register for the May7th SAT by the deadline, April 8th
- Register for the April 9th ACT by the deadline, March 4th
- Develop a file for each of the schools on your list
- Apply for any scholarships through your free scholarship search
- Brainstorm and research rewarding summer jobs and internships
- Visit colleges to which you may apply senior year
- Stay focused on grades
April
- Register for the June 4th SAT by the deadline, May 6th
- Take the April 9th ACT
- Visit colleges to which you may apply senior year
- Begin identifying teachers who may be willing to write recommendation letters for you
- Apply for any scholarships through your free scholarship search
May
- Take the May 7th SAT
- Register for the June 11th ACT by the deadline, May 9th
- Apply for any scholarships through your free scholarship search
- Visit colleges to which you may apply senior year
- Take the AP Placement Exam if you have taken AP courses
June
- Take the June 4th SAT
- Take the June 11th ACT
- Apply for any scholarships through your free scholarship search
- Take the AP Placement Exam if you have taken AP courses
- Now that you have you final list of colleges, go to their websites to print out the applications. Start filling out the application and work on the essays over the summer months
- Get the summer reading list for English IV
