Junior Year Time-Line Suggestions

If you are like many students, you are probably barely thinking about college at the start of your junior year in high school. Some students see their junior year as a time to relax before beginning an expansive college search their senior year. Actually, your junior year is the perfect time to casually begin gathering information about colleges that interest you, visiting them and then begin to narrow down your list of prospective schools. It is also a good idea to take some high school course work to prepare you for the academic rigors of college. Below are some time-line suggestions for your junior year that will help keep you on track:

Fall

Attend college nights and begin collecting information about colleges

Sign up and study for the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Have ongoing conversations with your parents during which you discuss your and their expectations about your college selection.

Consider visiting a local college or two to get a feel of what college is like.

Winter

During holiday and winter breaks, talk with college friends who are home.

Ask if you can visit them during the year to see what their college is like.

Investigate special summer orientation programs that are held at many colleges.

If you're planning to take the SAT I or II or ACT tests, sign up in February and begin studying immediately (or enroll in a test-prep course).

Plan some spring college visits.

Spring

Meet with your guidance counselor to go over your course selection for your senior year. Sign up for the most challenging courses appropriate for you, including Advanced Placement courses if possible.

Talk with graduating seniors about the colleges they will be attending. Ask them how they made their choices, what the admission process was like, and which other colleges they considered.

Sign up and study for the May SAT I or II.

If appropriate, register for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam.

Plan your summer college visits.

Scan some college admission applications to see what they are like. Take note of the essays many colleges require.

Summer

Attend a summer college readiness or special summer academic program, if possible.

Call or write any colleges in which you are interested that did not contact you in the spring.

Visit colleges that interest you, being aware that campuses feel very different during the summer.

Take a tour of the college and surrounding area and, if possible, meet with an admission officer. If appropriate, also meet with financial assistance representatives, coaches, and specific faculty members or deans.

If you are planning to go into the arts, start getting your portfolio or audition ready.

Begin writing the personal statement and/or essay required on many admission applications.

Please Mercer University's Office of University Admissions at (800) 840-8577 with any questions you may have regarding admissions requirements, deadlines, visitation programs, merit scholarships and financial assistance.