Junior Year

Fall and Spring

• Keep your grades up! The last grades colleges see are from your junior year when you submit applications your senior year. Continue to maintain rigor and strive for excellence in your classes. If your GPA is not where you want it to be after sophomore year, junior year is a great opportunity to bring it up.

• Take the SAT and ACT. You will take the ACT for FREE during the spring semester at school. If you want to take the SAT, you'll need to register independently for this test through www.collegeboard.com (SAT). If you want to take the ACT again to improve your scores, you can register independently for this test through www.act.org (ACT). 

  • Be sure to check the dates these tests are offered to see what works best for you. Spring of your junior year is a great time to take these tests because there are no summer dates offered. You'll want to have your scores by the middle of your fall semester senior year. 

• Login to Naviance regularly. You can access Naviance through Clever. You can research colleges, make a resume, explore careers, take personality assessments, and much more!

• Visit college campuses. Review the CMS calendar and find a few dates that work with your schedule and to minimize absences. You can schedule official tours with colleges through their websites, if available.

  • Check your student email regularly for updates on college visits to Mallard Creek. Ms. White coordinates college visits regularly throughout the year, and you can sign up with her. 

• Attend your Junior Meeting! You will meet one-on-one with your counselor during the year to discuss your schedule for senior year and post-secondary plans. This is a great time to ask questions, learn about post-secondary resources, and continue planning for your future.

• If you're an athlete and interested in playing a sport at a Division I or II school, you will need to register through the NCAA Clearinghouse: https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/

• Consider applying for a summer program or internship, fill out job applications, or research volunteer opportunities.

Summer

• Begin preparing for the college application process: draft application essays, update your resume, identify teachers to write your recommendations, search for scholarships. 

• Most applications open in August. If you decide you are going to apply under any early decision or early action programs, they require you to submit applications early, typically between October and December of your senior year.

  • Finalize your list of schools you want to apply to and research their deadlines!