College Application timeline:11th grade
For current or rising 11th-grade students, here's a helpful timeline to consider throughout the year as you prepare for college applications.
In the fall of eleventh grade, start to research colleges with intention. Make sure you have an organizational system that works for you to keep notes about what you like, what you don’t like, and any other information that’s important to you in a college search. This will help you to form a list of schools to which you plan to apply, something you should have solidified by the end of your junior year.
Challenge yourself in school and make sure you are getting the best grades possible.
Plan to take the ACT or SAT later into eleventh grade, with time to take it again over the summer or in the fall of senior year if you need to.
Ask teachers for recommendations before you leave for the summer. You should plan on having two “yes” answers before you’re out of school.
Start a Common Application account, if you haven’t already. The Common Application is what you’ll use to apply to the vast majority of colleges on your list, and it allows you to fill out one application to apply to multiple schools. You can fill in demographic information, school information, start to think about a personal statement topic, and add colleges to the list of places you intend to apply. However, don’t answer any school-specific essay questions yet, as they may change.