Welcome to your junior year - this is a big one!  This year you'll finalize your list of schools to apply to, complete the high school coursework that will be on your application, take the PSAT/NMSQT and the ACT at school (and the SAT on your own), and prepare for essays and portfolios to submit with your applications.  What a year!  

• Re-evaluate plans - Does your four-year plan need to be adjusted?  If so, meet with your counselor to make sure the plan aligns with your college goals.

• Remain involved - Stay involved in clubs and organizations you have been part of for the last two years.  It is okay to join new clubs if your interests are changing, but don't join more in order to have more clubs on your resume.  Invest deeply in the ones you like best.  Remember to record your participation and activities in  Xello.

• Research colleges - This is the year to develop a pretty solid list of the schools you are interested in.  Be sure you have explored them on Xello and BigFuture as well as explored their websites and social media.  See the College Exploration section below for more tips on building your college list.  

• Plan visits - Visits can be conducted in-person or virtually.  Talk with your family about planning a visit to the top colleges on your list.  These visits could be over the holidays or see about taking a college visit day.  

• Join mailing lists - Are there any schools on your list whose mailing list you haven't joined?  If so, go ahead and sign up.

• Prepare your resume - You've spent over two years recording your activities and accomplishments in Xello.  Now build a resume so you have all of that information in one place.  As you fill out applications next year, it will be very helpful to have your works and accomplishments on one document to reflect on.  It could be helpful if you're applying for a summer job too!

• Prepare a portfolio - Similar to a resume, consider building a portfolio of some of your work over the last few years.  This could be written work, artwork, digital work... anything that says something about who you are.  You may not need a formal portfolio for your college application, but again, it can be helpful to have all of these products in one place so you can access them and refer to them during the application process next year.

• Practice essay writing - Review the essay writing prompts for the colleges and universities you are most interested in.  Practice responding to those prompts, and have a teacher or trusted adult look over your writing.  The prompts may not be the same year after year, but the practice will help you prepare for this specific type of writing.  If you need help writing the essays, consider these Khan Academy tutorials.

• Prepare for the PSAT - The PSAT National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is the second Wednesday in October.  For juniors, this test is connected to over $300 million in scholarships and awards.  It's worth studying for!  Khan Academy is the official study partner for the PSAT and SAT.  You can link your College Board (the corporation behind the PSAT and SAT) account to Khan Academy in order to practice the exact skills you need to work on before the test.  

• Prepare for the ACT - Juniors in BISD will take the ACT exam the second Tuesday of March. Get ready for the test by practicing with study materials. The ACT, a college entrance exam, can impact both admissions into colleges as well as scholarships.  Learn more about your ACT scores, and college pages in Xello can show you a distribution of ACT scores at colleges you are interested in. 

• Take the SAT - You will want to register to take the SAT. Research shows that student scores on both the SAT and ACT often increase the second time you take the test, but a third or fourth time don't make a huge difference.  Like with the PSAT, link your College Board account to Khan Academy to prepare for the SAT.  

• Rank colleges - By the end of your junior year, you should have a good list of colleges you are interested in.  See the College Exploration section below for more details.

• Ask for a letter of recommendation - Think about which teacher from your junior year you'd like to ask to write you a letter of recommendation for your college applications in the fall.  This should be a teacher you have a good relationship with, but not one whose class was very easy for you.  Pick a teacher whose class you had to work hard in.  That teacher will be able to write a better letter of recommendation about who you are when things aren't easy for you.  That will go a long way in building your character in the minds of admissions officers.  Ask this teacher if he/she would be willing to write you a letter of recommendation in the fall.  If the teacher agrees, remember to send the formal request once you are filling out your application during your senior year in enough time for the teacher to not have to rush as he/she writes your letter.  

Continue building your resume on Xello.  Record all of your volunteer hours, educational opportunities, work experiences, trips, awards, and performances.  Track your extracurricular activities as well. 

Remember, you can go back to the 9th grade tab to watch the video on Resumes in Xello if you are ready to print yours as you apply for summer jobs.

1. Career: Insert the career name that interests you.

2. Why This Career: What stands out to you about this career? This response should be personal to you.

3. What Knowledge, Skills, or Abilities Stand Out to You: Review each of these sections on the career summary page, and list anything that stands out to you.

4. Personality: Check out your results from the Personality Style Quiz in Xello to connect your personality type with different careers.

1. Job Outlook: Are new job opportunities in this career very likely, average, or below average?

2. Median Salary: Look at the career information in Xello to connect your desired lifestyle with the expected salary for different occupations.

3. Required Education or Training: What are the degree requirements for this career? Keep in mind that degree requirements that are listed, are often the minimum requirements, and attaining a higher level of education can correspond to a higher salary in the same career field.

For more information about completing the Career Matrix, visit College Possible.