Keep your grades up! The last grades colleges will see are from junior year, as you will send your applications in before any grades are final senior year. Stay in contact with your teachers and utilize their tutorial hours.

Attendance is important! If you are going to be out, let your teachers know and get work ahead of time.

This is the year to take the SAT and ACT. You will take the ACT at school in March, and that test is college admissible, so take it seriously! You will need to schedule any other SATs and ACTs independently through www.collegeboard.org (SAT) or www.actstudent.org (ACT). Spring of junior year is a good time to take these tests. Remember that there are no summer test dates and you will want to be done with these tests by the middle of your fall semester senior year, so if you are planning on taking more than one this is the time to start!

Visit college campuses. Campus visits can make such a big difference in deciding whether you want to apply to a college or not. Take a look at the CMS calendar so you can plan your visits to minimize absences. Always take an official tour if you can.

Stay involved! Participating in clubs, working a part-time job, or volunteering in the community shows colleges that you can balance your time between academics and extra-curriculars. Taking on a leadership role is always a great idea. It is not important to be involved in a lot of different clubs and groups, but it is important to be significantly involved in a few.