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Four-plus months into the school year, and juniors are beginning to look at to how navigate their path toward college. 

Like any long-term project, the college process is best tackled one step at a time. 

The college process begins with building a foundation based on a solid high school curriculum, developing personal insight as to how one learns best, determining the social environment that suits the student into young adulthood and, of course, evaluating affordability.

Wondering about how to start the college process?  Check out these ten essential to-do's to guide juniors and their families into a smooth preparation for the college application season. 

1. Aim for solid classroom performance that reflects the student's best academic abilities.  Should the going gets rough, especially if learning in a remote environment, take the lead by seeking out additional teacher assistance, peer tutoring, online study resources or focused study groups.
2. "More organization -- and less perspiration." Not sure where to attribute this piece of handy wisdom, but chances are it was forged during the college application season!  For most teens, building  time management skills  goes a long way to feeling in control of the many steps that go into applying to college.  The earlier one gets comfortable with organizing and  prioritizing, the more smoothly everything will go!
3. Plan ahead to make the calendar your friend, not foe.  Outlining each month's college process steps helps to create a sense of control and accomplishment for teens. 
4. Once colleges re-open for in-person visiting, families might aim to first visit local campuses to get a feel for differences in size; location type; student vibe.
5. Start by selecting 2-3 colleges to research on line or through school-based visits. During the current global pandemic in-person meetings may be unlikely, but virtual college admissions counselor webinars  and  presentations  as well as  student chats are abundant resources
6. Many college fairs have moved online, providing an accessible way for students to readily learn about a broad variety of schools and programs.
7. Because engagement in extracurricular activities continues to be a central piece of the college application review, now is the time for juniors to enjoy discovering their interests and develop leadership skills through school clubs, volunteer activities or jobs. 
8. Standardized testing  still remains an important admissions element in admission review at most colleges, so preparation for the SAT and/or ACT should be part of of a junior's plan. Check out  FREE  online preparation through Khan Academy. 
9. Consider teacher relationships in the context of classroom performance.  Colleges often rely on junior year teacher recommendations to provide extra context and insight about a student's performance inside the classroom.  Recommendations also serve as a signal to potential in the college classroom. 
10. Families would be wise to get realistic about the cost of college and kick off the  affordability  conversation. For a picture of costs and eligibility for need-based financial assistance, start with online financial assistance calculators.  One helpful tool, the  College Board's Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) calculator,  is available via www.BigFuture.com.  In addition, a college's Office of Financial Assistance would publish their own college-specific online Net Price Calculator (NPC) which provides an early estimate of financial assistance.