Juniors should be cognizant that the semester is winding down and grades are paramount in the quest for realizing your dreams to attend the school of your choice. This month on March 13th is the next of several SAT's being administered. At the end of the month is spring break for many and others it is early in March or in the first part of April. Please make sure you signed up for either the March and/or May SAT and are thinking about taking the ACT on April 10h or June 12th. Plan on working with your coach and figuring out where you should go visit colleges for spring break. Begin finalizing your summer plans i.e. work, summer school, travel, summer program, sports, performing arts training, visiting schools.

Juniors April will be hectic with AP exams fast approaching for those taking them, standardized tests given April ACT and May 1st SAT. Please sign up for the May 1st SAT if you have not done so already. Grades, grades, grades are paramount- do not lose a moments focus- school is almost over. Follow up with your summer plans to insure you have a full summer in between writing your personal statement, filling out your Common Application starting July 1st and having fun. If you are taking an AP exam it is time to really focus on mastering your study time because out of all the studying and taking the AP exams comes signing up and taking the subject exams in those AP disciplines June 5th. The AP exam is a precursor to the big game the Subject Tests in June. If you are not taking AP exams and are planning on attending a University of California school or a Tier 1 college or university you will need to prepare outside of school for the Math 2 and or Literature subject test plus any other you feel confident that wit extra studying you can master.

Start of the craziness at the end of the year. There is a lot going on May 1st SAT, AP exams the second two weeks of May, possibly you are taking finals depending on where you attend school. Grades, grades and grades are critical at this point. Do not hesitate to get help from your teachers or a tutor. Let your coach know if you need help. If you are planning on taking the Subject tests then you need to start studying or practicing for those tests which would be on June 5th. They are very difficult. If you are not taking the exams you are not excluded from some pressure. Please make sure you are signed up for your summer school classes, summer programs or camps and begin discussing a possible summer college trip. At the very least you and your coach will be gearing up for the end of school and the start of discussing your Personal Statement that we want to get started over the summer. The prompt comes from the common application which will be out July 1st. However the main essay, the Personal Statement has never changed so there is no excuse for not getting started in early-mid June. if you are considering to take a class at the community college in the fall or spring make sure you have your Academic Enrichment form in at the school of your choice, taken the Assessment test, gone through Orientation and have a date to register for the Fall.