Photo by Eliott Reyna on Unsplash

Your junior and senior year of high school are busy times. In addition to your usual schoolwork and other activities, if you are preparing for college, there is a great deal to do. Even if you’re getting help from your parents, teachers and counselors at school, this can be overwhelming. It can help if you are able to break down the different things you need to do into a few manageable categories.

Choosing a School

First, you’ll need to choose the schools you want to apply for. There is a cost in both time and money for each application, so you should be prudent about how many schools you choose. You should select at least two, a dream school and a safe school, but some students will want to apply to four, five or more. There are a few things you should consider when you are applying. First, of course, if you know what you want to study, you should make sure that the school has the major you are interested in and that it is a good program. 

You should also think about whether you want to go to a place with a large or small student body, whether you want to be near or far away from home, and whether you want to be in a city, town, or rural location. In addition, be aware that schools have very different cultures and political leanings. Be sure to choose one that will suit you. Campus visits can be helpful, but if you can’t do them, try doing virtual tours and talking to current and former students online about their experiences.

Finances

While cost will need to be a consideration when you are choosing a school to some extent, including cost of living, there may be a number of ways to offset that cost. Some schools may offer need-based or academic-based scholarships. This could mean that a school that initially looks more expensive is actually cheaper than another one. You may be eligible for other grants and scholarships as well. 

In addition, you may want to take out student loans. Some students borrow both from the federal government and private lenders depending on how much they need. You can start researching financing options in your junior year, noting down the deadlines for the following year to make sure that you fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid and other documents in ample time.

Applying

Applications also have deadlines, so getting organized early on is important here as well. This is particularly true since some applications will require that you write an essay and obtain letters of recommendation. As you narrow down your choice of schools, you will apply to make a note of application deadlines so that you can give yourself plenty of time to complete these. Ideally, you should give people one to two months’ notice to write a letter of recommendation for you. Give them a date that is well before when you actually need it and have a couple of backup candidates in mind in case someone can’t do it at the last minute.