College The definitave guide on how to get into college

Geometry. Get good grades in hard classes, yada yada yada. I don't really think I have to explainthis. Also, and this may be less obvious, get involved. Try out for the baseball team, or the school play. Get a job, or take up the oboe. Whatever it is, find something which you enjoy and are good at, and dedicate some time to it. Don't worry about it toomuch. Soph. Year: In October, sign up to take the PSAT (do it online at http://www.collegeboard.org). If they don't offer it at your school, find a school where they do. When you sign up, you will have to fill out a bunch of forms - in fact, by your senior year you will have to fill out hundreds of these forms. So do yourself a favor, and be consistant. If you have a middle name, always include it. If you live half the time with each parent, choose one parent whosehouse you want college related mail sent to. Ok, when it comes time for the PSAT, don't stress. Don't study, don't take a course, don't make flashcards. Do get plenty of sleep the night before, and try to do as well as possible. Also, if in your sophmore year youhave completed a year of chemistry or biology it would be very smart to take the SATII in that subject. Also, you could take the AP in any AP classes you are in, or in history or English. Junior Year: So this is really when the shit hits the fan. buckle down and get good grades, cuz this is where it counts kiddo. First of all, take the PSAT again. But before you do it, read the directions (youcan get them ahead of time at your high school's college counseling office). Make some vocab flashcards, and maybe evenlook over a few math equations. Don't do anything excessive, but this test might actually score you some $$$ if you do well, cuz you could win a National Merit Scholarship. Ok, at some point in the winter, buy your self one of those big fat books with a name like 'The _____ Guide to Competitave Colleges.' Actually, I highly reccomend Princeton Review's '311 Best Colleges.' Keepthis book by your toilet, and just read through the descriptions of different colleges. You might evenwant to mark the ones that seem interesting, and circle good things(and underline bad things) about each college. Don't try to make a list yet, just get an idea of what the options are. In December, takethe SAT. In Jan. take the SATII Writing, and if you want to, one other SATII. Now, as spring break is approaching, you might want to consider taking a college tour. To do this, you'll actually have to make a list of colleges you are interested. Talk to friends, your guidance counselor maybe even your parents, and make a list of schools you can visit. Make sure that you visit different kinds of schools (big schools, small schools, coed schools, all womansschools, urban schools, rural schools) Try to avoid visiting morethan one in a day, and call ahead to arrange to take the tour. When you get there, keep a diary of each college, because if you don't,you will forget them. Still need help making a list of schools? I have done you a huge favor and made you a list of schools to look at, sorted into catagories. These are ALL the bestschools in the country, so here goes: Academic Powerhouses: Basically, people go to these schools because the academics are great. They may have a lot of other stuff going for them... Harvard Stanford Yale Princeton Columbia Univeristy of Chicago