Fireflymag.com talked to three college advisors to find out what you should be doing right now to get ready for the college application process. The advisors: Sarah Soule, director of admissions for Vermont Commons School, also runs a private consulting business; Howard Verman, consultant for Strategies For College, has been an educator for 35 years;Nancy Milne owner of a private consulting business, Milne Collegiate Consulting, was formerly the director of admissions at Cornell University.

So, here’s what you should be doing…

 

If you’re a sophomore:

-Education after high school doesn’t always mean a full four-year college experience. Consider what kind of college—four-year, two-year, technical, community, online— may be right for you.

-Just start thinking about some of the basics. In what part of the country (or world) do you want to go to school? Do you want to go to school in a city or the country? 

-Keep your grades up, and consider taking an Advanced Placement course as a junior if your school allows it.

-Look into resume-boosting summer activities, like volunteer work.

-Go to spring college fairs and just get an idea of the types of schools you like.

 

If you’re a junior:

-Work on getting the best grades you can. Advisors agreed that your academic record is the most important thing colleges look at.

-Think about taking AP courses next year. Colleges like to see that you’re challenging yourself. Plus, doing well on an AP test can save you thousands in college tuition and let you skip college courses.

-Talk to your guidance counselor about your academic position, and start getting to know them.

-Talk to your parents about your financial situation.

-Make the most of college fairs. Meet college representatives.

-Start keeping a list of all the awards, clubs, honors or extra-curricular activities you have garnered, so you can put them on your resume.

-By February, compile a list of the schools you want to visit.

-Visit colleges during school vacations, when students are on campus.

-Start thinking about your essays over the summer.

-Decide which standardized test(s) you want to take.

-Ask teachers for letters of recommendation at the end of the year, instead of waiting until the fall, when they’re swamped with requests.

 

If you’re a senior:

-If you haven’t started your college search, start this minute!

-Narrow down the colleges you want to apply to.

-Make any final college visits.

-Start applying! It helps to break applications into manageable pieces that you can tackle one at a time.

-It’s generally a good idea to apply sooner rather than later, especially if the college has rolling admissions. You don’t want a frazzled admissions employee reading your application at 2 a.m. the last day before the deadline!

-Don’t let “senioritis” get the best of you. Colleges have rescinded offers because students’ grades tanked at the end of the year.