It’s February and the pace of the school year is picking up.  The holiday break is a blur and Winter Break (sometimes called “Ski Week”) is around the corner.  Also waiting for you during second semester is the “testing season,” along with extracurricular activities, planning for summer programs and internship opportunities, and finishing strong academically.  Yes, sometimes you won’t be sure if you are juggling multiple balls in the air or balancing all that needs to be accomplished.

You’ve already figured out that Junior year is critical – the time to get serious about your plans beyond high school.  This is the time to assess your educational path, academic interests, extra-curricular activities, and your current thoughts about college.  Review your current academic standing and your plan with your counselor and continue working hard and smart to get good grades.  It’s important that you continue getting to know your teachers and counselors, because you will be asking them to support your college and scholarship applications with letters of recommendation; start identifying whom you will ask to write those letters.

Hopefully you took the PSAT in October and have received your scores.  Have you linked your scores with Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/sat)?  Did you know that by doing so, you can receive a test prep plan that is tailored to your PSAT results?  This adaptive learning approach to test prep will focus more on areas where you need assistance (based on your scores) so that you are not spending a lot of time reviewing material in which your scores already show strength.

Are you involved in extracurricular activities?  Are you seeking leadership roles in those areas that are of greatest interest to you?  Perhaps it’s time to step up and me more than just a member of a club at school or a group at church; find ways to lead a project or become an officer. If you are an athlete and would like to continue athletics in college, be sure to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (http://ncaaeligibilitycenter.org).  There are strict guidelines to follow even if you are not planning for Division I athletics.

And yes, Junior year is also the time to begin developing a preliminary college list.  Initially you should target around 20-25 schools for which you will conduct further research.  This initial list should include schools at varying levels of selectivity (often referred to as reach, target and safety schools) and have 2-3 other characteristics that you find attractive about a college.  While 20 schools seems to be a lot, your preliminary list will be refined over time, resulting in a final list of perhaps 8-10 schools to which you actually apply.  So what’s the best way to research schools?  Successful methods include using websites like College Board’s Big Future (http://bigfuture.collegeboard.org), College Navigator (http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/), College Xpress (www.collegexpress.com) or similar programs that allow you to do college matches based on criteria you specify.  BE OPEN MINDED about schools that appear in your college search results that you aren’t familiar with; be willing to research and learn more about them, too!  While conducting your research, remember to explore the need- and merit-based financial aid resources offered by each institution

Probably the best way to get a sense of whether a school is a good “fit” for you is to visit the campus.   Scheduling campus visits during school breaks is often a great time to see campuses without interrupting your normal school attendance.  However, you do want to visit campuses when students are there, too, which may not be the case during the holiday break.  There still is value, however, in cruising a campus, especially if you’re “in the neighborhood”.   Remember, campus visits can be time consuming and expensive, but it is an important part of the college research and application process – you need to “feel” yourself there!

Feeling overwhelmed?  Take a deep breath and as you exhale, begin to formulate a plan – a living “checklist” that captures all of the things you need to do, as your thoughts of college transition from a faraway dream to time for action.  Having a plan that works for you will take a lot of stress out of the process.  I always tell my students “be true to you” as you embark upon this wild and crazy ride called the college application process.  And always remember, The Journey Begins with You…. Good luck!

Antoinette Battiste is an Independent Educational Consultant and 20+ year resident of Evergreen.   She is an active volunteer with many community organizations in Silicon Valley, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators, Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce the African American Community Services Agency, and the Northern California Association of Morehouse Parents.