September

• Start to think about colleges and universities you may want to apply to next fall. Write down college characteristics you prefer and discuss them with parents and friends.

• Plan to attend college fairs and financial aid seminars; learn as much as possible about colleges of interest (and the entire college admission process).

• Consider college majors you may wish to study. Research careers that may spark interest in a specific major; talk with your parents and counselor.

• Focus your extracurricular interests on activities you are passionate about. Your activities should be those you are prepared to keep involved with throughout your high school career; ideally, activities should support your student theme. A high level of involvement and accomplishment in a few activities is more important than participating in numerous activities on a surface level.

• Register for the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test® (PSAT/NMSQT) given at your high school in October. The PSAT/NMSQT is good practice for next year’s SAT Reasoning Test. Online registration for the PSAT/NMSQT® is NOT available; see your high school counselor for registration instructions.

• Visit with college representatives who travel to your high school. Remember to be professional in all interactions with college and university representatives.

• Obtain your high school CEEB Code Number. See your counselor for the code number or find it online. You will need this number when registering for the SAT® and ACT® tests and for next year's college applications.