Genre Kryptonite Memoirs About Books

Genre Kryptonite Memoirs About Books When I first started trying to figure out how to talk about this particular genre kryptonite, my first impulse was to write about how I love Book About Books. I quickly realized that list would spiral out of control in a 2,000-word epic ending with incoherent gushing about how I just want to read more and more and more and more. So I’m trying to contain myself a little bit and focus this down to a particular type of book about books memoirs about books and the reading life. There’s something that always strikes me to my core when an avid reader is able to articulate the joy and frustration and entertainment and challenge that are all part of a balanced reading life. Memoirs about books focus in on the intimate act of reading and what it means. Book memoirists are, in many ways, preaching to the choir, but that makes it all the more difficult to get it right I know reading in a way I am never going to understand other frequently-covered memoir topics. I will know if a memoir about books isn’t authentic, which makes me appreciate the good ones all the more. I have two favorites to share, and two that I have on my shelves right now that I can’t wait to read: Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch: After Nina Sankovitch’s sister passed away after a short illness at 46 years old, Sankovitch felt herself being pulled apart one part stuck at the hospital with her sister and one part racing ahead frantically trying to live life to the fullest in honor of her sister. As a way to bring herself back together, Sankovitch decided to spend a year reading, one book every single day for 365 days.  Apart from pondering the absolutely luxurious idea of reading a book every single day, I loved this memor because of the way Sankovitch explores what books mean to readers and how we use the “greater truths” of stories to make sense of our own lives. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi: Reading Lolita in Tehran  is the first memoir in books that I remember reading and falling in love with. Nafisi served as a teacher at an Iranian university until she was forced to resign in 1987. Later, she formed a book club with seven of her female students, who met to read and discuss works of Western literature which were otherwise forbidden.  I first read this book when I was in high school, and at the time it blew my mind to think about how the lessons of some major Western Canon books can be different depending on the cultural context you read them in. Now, I know that’s not especially deep, but at the time it really affected how I read. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman: Ex Libris (which means “from the books” in Latin) is a collection of essays about Fadiman’s lifelong love of reading. I don’t know much more about it than that, but Anne Fadiman is the author of my favorite work of narrative nonfiction, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (now out in a new paperback edition!), so I’d bet highly that this one will be great too. The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma: Starting in fourth grade, Ozma and her father, an elementary school librarian, vowed to read together for 100 nights in a row. When they finished the first 100 days pledge, they decided to keep “The Streak” going as long as possible. I’m not sure exactly what appeals to me about this one, other than that it just sounds charming. Often, when I think about reading before bed with kids, I think just about mothers (my mom was the bedtime reader in my family), so the idea of Ozma starting on this project with her dad makes me a little verklempt even before starting the book. Sign up for True Story to receive nonfiction news, new releases, and must-read forthcoming titles. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Understanding Different Learning Styles in the Workplace

Thanks to Ron Gross for sharing this piece from his book Peak Learning: How to Create Your Own Lifelong Education Program for Personal Enlightenment and Professional Success. In the world of work, there is widening recognition of the need to capitalize on different learning styles within organizations. According to Dudley Lynch, in Your High Performance Business Brain, we can use this powerful new way of understanding people to design better organizations, ... do a more effective and productive job of hiring and placing people, and to frame our management messages so that they can penetrate the natural filters of the mind. That means you should be able to measure how well your learning style fits the tasks that compose your present job. You should also be able to recognize the styles of others, which will make for better communications. Understanding Your Style In a workshop, we illustrate this by forming a hemispheric circle. All the participants seat themselves in a semicircle so that each persons position reflects his or her degree of preference for either the stringer or the grouper style of learning. Those on the left side of the semicircle prefer to learn in a step-by-step, analytical, systematic way. Those on the right prefer a holistic, top-down, big-picture approach. Then, we talk about how these two kinds of people can best explain things to each other or convey new information. Hold on, now, one of the left-side folks will say. Id really prefer it if you could start out by giving me some basic examples of what youre talking about. You seem to be all over the map instead of starting with first things first. But the next minute someone from the right side will complain, Hey, I cant see the forest for all those trees youre throwing at me. Could we wrench ourselves up out of the details and get an overview of the subject? Whats the point? Where are we headed? Often partnerships are profitably forged out of two individuals who complement each others styles. In my workshops, we often see two people who work closely together take seats on opposite ends of the hemispheric circle. In one case, a couple in the fashion business found themselves in those places. It turned out that one of them was the idea person and the other, the financial wizard. Together they made a dynamic duo indeed. Teamwork Creating teams to work together or to solve problems is an important area in which an awareness of styles can assure greater success. Some highly technical problems call for team members who all share the same way of processing information, seeking new facts, interpreting evidence, and coming to conclusions. A narrow fact-finding or problem-solving assignment, such as determining how to expedite the passage of orders through the billing department, might be such a situation. In other situations, however, your success may depend on having the right mix of styles. You may need one or two people who take the top-down, broad view together with others who like to work systematically and logically. Creating a plan for the next years activities would be a task that could benefit from this mix of approaches. Recognizing Relationships With Superiors Another area in which styles of learning and thinking can crucially affect the success of individuals or organizations is boss-employee relations. This typical situation occurs every day in business and industry: a supervisor will complain that a new worker cant seem to learn a routine task. When the suggestion is made that the newcomer might learn it if shown it move by move, the supervisor — clearly a grouper rather than a stringer — expresses dismay, exclaiming, I never give instructions that way. It would be insulting and patronizing — anyone can pick it up if they really want to. Such conflict based on differences in style can extend right up to the executive suite. In their book, Type Talk, management consultants Otto Kroeger and Janet Thuesen tell how they helped straighten out troubled organizations by analyzing the disparities among the styles of the managers and executives involved. They even suggest developing a version of the organization chart in which each of the key individuals is identified not by his or her title, but by his or her learning style! Source Gross, Ronald. Peak Learning: How to Create Your Own Lifelong Education Program for Personal Enlightenment and Professional Success. Revised, Subsequent edition, TarcherPerigee, April 5, 1999.

Forrest Gump Movie An Analysis - 1719 Words

Forrest Gump Movie: An Analysis Forrest Gump (film 1994), is an American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis, narrated and starred by Tom Hanks. The story revolved around a slow-witted but exceptionally gifted person, Forrest Gump, who happened to have participated to the many significant events that occurred in the later period of the 20th century, from 1945 to 1982. The plot started in a bus stop where Forrest Gump shared his life story with strangers who sat beside him. From being bullied in school due to his disabilities (wearing leg braces), and meeting Elvis Presley whom he taught a hip-swinging dance, to meeting Jenny, her childhood friend who was sexually abused by her drunkard father, and whom Forrest fell in love for the rest of his life. Forrest lives with his mother who loved and encouraged him despite his disabilities. Forrest discovered that he could run as fast as he could and earned a scholarship to the University of Alabama, He was named All-American football Player and was hono red to meet John F. Kennedy. Forrest enlisted in the United States Army after graduating from college where he met Bubba Blue, became friends and planned to establish a shrimp business after the war. However, during the Vietnam War, Bubba was killed, while Forrest managed to save 2nd Lt. Dan Taylor who was injured and supposedly choose to die a hero like the rest of his ancestors. The Lieutenant became an amputee and hated Forrest for intervening to hisShow MoreRelatedMovie Analysis : Forrest Gump1385 Words   |  6 PagesThe movie Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic-comedy-drama film starring Tom Hanks as its leading actor depict changes in the American History. The story depicts several decades in the life of Forrest Gump, a slow-witted but kind-hearted, good natured and athletically prodigious man from Alabama who witnesses, and in some cases influences, some of the defining events of the latter half of the 20th century in the United States. The Frist scene that I noticed was the one where Forrest motherRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Forrest Gump 997 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Forrest. Gump† is a drama. with comical aspects. The story spans from 1951-1984, which the historical. situations prove, and takes place. in different locations of. America, and Vietnam. The movie was released in 1994 and is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who is famous for movies like â€Å"Cast away† and â€Å"back to the future† The character Forrest Gump is played by the famous actor named Tom Hanks. He has won a lot of prizes such as the Oscar and the Golden globe for his good acting. The movieRead MoreMovie Analysis : Forrest Gump917 Words   |  4 PagesForrest Gump is a movie that was directed by Robert Zemeckis and had published in 1994. The genre of the movie is in drama, comedy, and romance. In the movie, the character, Forrest Gump shows and teaches us great lessons. The main character shows his significances and interesting plots that he had experienced and was trying to tell the stories to the men and the women who sat next by him while waiting for the bus at the bus stop. Not every movies and stories bring out the positive way to expressRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Forrest Gump 1603 Words   |  7 Pages The movie Forrest Gump played by Tom Hank is a story about Forest Gump a simple man and his journey through life. Gump was simple minded and lived his life by a set of values taught to h im by his mother (Sally Field). While Forest sat down waiting for a bus, he tells his story. Forest takes part in several defining historical moments such as the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal and also had painful experiences. Despite his setbacks and naive nature, he struggles and triumphs in everythingRead MoreMovie Analysis : Forrest Gump1604 Words   |  7 Pagesstated by Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks). Forrest Gump makes a big emphasis on how life is erratic and no one knows what lies ahead. Forrest was the main character of the movie, telling his life journey at a bus stop. A story of a man who was born with below average intelligence and still managed to accomplish many milestones in his life, all while creating relationships with people. This 1994 American drama film depicted defining events of the late 20th century in the United States. Forrest Gump has manyRead MoreMovie Analysis : Forrest Gump1262 Words   |  6 PagesEspecially, movie plays a very important role in my life. When I was a child, I watched an inspirational movie named Forrest Gump, it influences me deeply till now. Forrest Gump is indeed a movie with rich connotation. The first time I watched it seriously, my inner feelings were complex, there are humor, sadness, touched, relieved, praise, and regret. His life looks like such a legendary life, how about its development? When I was an 8-year-old child, the most attractive points of this movie for meRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Forrest Gump 1220 Words   |  5 PagesNathaniel Pushee Mrs.lee English 10 March 10, 2017 Forrest Gump Research paper Intro: Forrest Gump was in college between the 1961 and 1966 Sports: Forrest Gump during his college year played football for Alabama. He became a star player because of his ability to run faster than most college players. While he was in college there were other major sporting events going on. In the college mainstream, there was the 1961 College Football National Championship Between Alabama and Ohio State. Alabama’sRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Forrest Gump 927 Words   |  4 PagesLieutenant Dan Taylor, from the movie Forrest Gump, was initially an â€Å"ordinary† character known to have a family line tradition of someone dying in each war. He was the next family member to serve, in the Vietnam War. Despite beating the odds of not dying, he still faced a near death tragedy. In Vietnam, he lead a platoon that was encountered an ambush by the Vietcong. During the surprise attack, he ordered a Napalm bomb drop against the enemies. Lt. Dan was convinced he was the next to follow theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Forrest Gump 878 Word s   |  4 PagesForrest Gump tells the story of a man, who while slightly mentally and physically challenged, is to lead a life full of experiences and wonderment. The audience is teleported to the 1960’s American South and around the globe as they follow Forrest on this journey. By using historical footage, he is placed in seemingly recorded events. The simple love story is interwoven with the upheavals of the Vietnam era, the violent war sequences and solitude he requires to make sense of his changing lifeRead MoreMovie Analysis : Forrest Gump1195 Words   |  5 Pagesinterruptive publicizing expels them from the diversion. The movie that I chose was Forrest Gump. The motion picture Forrest Gump takes after the life occasions of a man who shares the name as the title of the film. Gump faces numerous tribulations for the duration of his life, yet he never gives any of them a chance to meddle with his satisfaction. From wearing leg braces, to having a beneath normal IQ and notwithstanding being shot, Gump keeps on trusting that great things will happen and pursues

Haddon House Free Essays

Jurists Haddam House Food Products has over 50 years of experience in the gourmet food industry. As you know our inventory selection is more than 20,000 items which consists of major brand within ethnic and gourmet categories. One of our most popular brands is Cane’s Crazy Mixed-up seasonings. We will write a custom essay sample on Haddon House or any similar topic only for you Order Now Haddam House is very strong when it comes to selling our products. However, Haddam House needs improvement when it comes to employee turnover. Haddam House has three major locations, two locations in New Jersey, and one in South Carolina. There are 60 people who work in our corporate office and about 700-800 sales representative. Looking back at the last five years there has only been four employees who have been promoted and a handful of employees who left the company or got terminated. It is clear that these promotions happened because the supervisor of Accounts Payable decided to leave the company because she was moving out of state. This left her position open which then the supervisor of Account Receivable decided to take her position this way one of her employees could become the supervisor. This may not be considered a promotion because she was already a supervisor Just moving to a new department. Furthermore, the young lady working in customer service has only been employed with the company for two years and she has a tough time trying to get promoted In addition to the employees in the cooperate office looking at the sales representative there have been at least three employees getting terminated each week. That is a really high number and it should not be like this at all. It should be in the company’s strong interest to want to keep their employees. There are many times where a sales representative will leave the company and then get hired again a month later. There are many questions that come with that. Are they leaving the company because their pay is not high enough and then Join the company later to get a better pay increase? This problem can be avoided if the sales representative can give their feedback and the company takes it into consideration to better improve the company. . There is an even amount of males and females that leave the company each year. However, by looking at the numbers more females feel the need to get remoter and have the highest Job whereas, the males feel comfortable in their position. One good aspect about Haddam House is that there are an equal number of males and females in the company. The company is also very diverse. Another variable that we looked into was if there was a correlation between education and promotion within the company. With any other company if a person gets a higher education it can give them a chance to get promoted in the company. However, with this company it rarely happens. Employees feel that when they get hired for a position it does not matter if they further their education they will be stuck that session. This comes to be a big problem because individuals do not want to keep looking for a Job because they cannot go further. Haddam house is very particular with who is in the right position and they fear that only these people are right for the Job. It would help them in the long run if they were willing to trust more people and willing to promote more people than they do now. If they can get past this threshold they may notice an increase in moral and loyalty. Which will help people stay in the company and keep it a happy and healthy environment. How to cite Haddon House, Papers

The Journey free essay sample

The journeys the thing, my sociologyteacher quoted one September afternoon. He scribbled the words on the blackboard,telling us to copy them into our notebooks. While my classmates lamented the hot,humid weather, I pondered the statement. I thought the four simple words conveyeda meaningful message, and wondered if I ever appreciated the journeyof my own life. After a few moments deliberation, the bell rang and I hurried tomy next destination. A week later, I found myself hoping the day would goquickly because I was looking forward to my weekend plans. I suddenly rememberedthose words my teacher had written on the board, and their meaning becameclearer. Do I ever truly appreciate events as they are occurring, I wondered, oram I always looking toward the future? Regretfully, I have wished away asignificant amount of time anticipating future events. During the past year,especially, I have spent a lot of time thinking about college. We will write a custom essay sample on The Journey or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While planning myfuture is certainly a worthy project, I now try to focus on the past and presentas well. I regret that I did not completely value Christmas parties with myfriends, long telephone conversations and meaningful class discussions as theywere taking place. Although I will still look forward to upcoming events, my goalis to try to appreciate today.

Complete List of High School Sports How to Pick

Complete List of High School Sports How to Pick SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Interested in playing a high school sport? You should be! High school sports are a great way to make friends, get involved in your school, and stay active. What sports are offered? I’ll give you the full list of high school sports available in the US, and I’ll explainwhy you should join a team and how to figure out whichsport is right for you. The Complete List of High School Sports Offered in the US These are the sports that fall under the jurisdiction of a State Athletic Association. Each state has itsown Athletic Association that runs the sports leagues and championships for the below sports. NOTE: Not all of these sports are offered in all states.For example, Skiing Snowboarding isn’t offered in Florida. Less obviously, bowling isn’t offered in California and several other states. Additionally, even if asport isoffered in your state, it may not be offered at your school.There might not have been enough interest or funding to create a team.If you hope to play a sport that’s offered in your state, but not at your school, consider starting a team. I’ll discuss this optionmore in-depth below. There may be other sports offered at your high school that are played at a â€Å"club† level (they don’t have a state championship).To find out which sports are offered at your specific high school, check out yourschool's website or email a school administrator or athletic director. Unless otherwise noted, sportshave both boys' and girls' teams or a co-ed team: Badminton Baseball (Boys) Basketball Bowling Cheerleading / Competitive Spirit Squads Cross Country Dance Team Field Hockey Flag Football (Girls) Football (Boys) Golf Gymnastics Hockey Indoor Track Field Lacrosse Skiing Snowboarding Soccer Softball (Girls) Slow Pitch Softball (Girls) Surf Swimming Diving Tennis Track Field Volleyball Water Polo Weightlifting Wrestling When Is Each Sport Played? The season (fall, winter, spring) for each sport varies by state.There are a few sports that are consistent in season from state to state - football, for example, is always played in fall. To check when each sport is played in your state, do a Google Search for your state’s high school athletic association.Simply search â€Å"[State Name] High School Sports† or â€Å"[State Name] High School Athletic Association.†That will bring you to the athletic association website for your state.There should be a tab on the website for sports.Under that tab, you should see a list of all sports and their season. Below isa screenshot fromthe Florida High School Athletic Association website: How to Choose Which Sport(s) to Join There are many ways to choose which team (or teams) to join at your school.First, you should take into consideration the season when each sport is played.Follow the steps above to find out when each sport is played in your state.Most schools don't allow you to play two sports that are in the same season (or that overlap seasons as fall and winter sports sometimes do).Talk to your high school athletic director if you’re interested in playing two sports that are in the same season or may overlap. Next, you should take into consideration which sports you’ve played before and how much you enjoyed them.Did you play a sport inmiddle school or recreationally that you enjoyed?Is that sport offered at your high school?If it is, consider joining that team!You already enjoyed playing it, so you should continue. If the sport isnot currently offered by your school but is offered by your state athletic association, consider starting a school team.Again, follow the steps outlined above to see if the sport is offered by your school athletic association. If you'd rather not start a team, you also might be allowed to join that team at another high school. For example, if you wanted to be on the bowling team, and it wasn't offered at your high school but was at a high school a couple of miles away, you'd likely be allowed to try out for that team. Talk to your athletic director to see if this is an option. If it's not, you should see if there is a localcommunity sports team for that sport. If there is, consider joining that team! If the sport you love isn't offered by your state athletic association (such as Ultimate Frisbee), consider starting a club to play it with friends after school. You won’t have a state championship, but you’ll still have the opportunity to play the sport.As a bonus, starting your own club willalso be a great leadership experience to include on your resume. Before picking a sports team to join,consider how well your experience in a sport matches up with how competitive it is at your school.Have you played the sport before? For how long? How good is that team at your high school? Did they go to the state championship? For example, at my high school, when I attended, our football and lacrosse teams were terrible. They essentially lost almost every game.However, our men’s tennis team went to the state championship.If I was picking a team to join and I’d never played any of the sports before, I’d probably try out for football or lacrosse and NOT tennis, since I’d have a better shot atmaking the football or lacrosse teams.If I had playedtennis competitively throughout middle school, I’d still tryout for the tennis team. It’s good to be aware of how competitive each team is in advance of trying out. To help figure outhow competitive each team is, you should also try to figure out how many people get picked to be on each teamand how many players are returning from the previous season.For example, football teams typically have around 40 players. Tennis teams at high schools typically have five singles players and two doubles teams (often composed of four of the five singles players).Football is probably a less competitive team to join (even a good football team) than a tennis team since there are 40 spots versus five. However, if you're only going to try out for one specific position on the football team (such as quarterback), it may be MORE competitive than tennis since there is only one starting spot for quarterback versus five starting spots for tennis players. If all five tennis players are returning from the previous season, I’d be hesitant to try out because I likely wouldn’t make the team unless I were good enough to beat one or more of the current players. While all of the above should be taken into consideration when picking a sports team, don’t let any of the above stop you.If you’ve always been dying to play on a tennis team but have never played before, still try out! You never know, you might make it! If you're interested in a sport that's very competitive at your school, check to see if you can try out for a JV team (or some schools even have freshman teams in addition to JV andvarsity). You can start there and work your way up to varsity. 4 Great Reasons to Join a Sports Team Sports teams are a great extracurricular activity.I have some of my best high school memories from playing on the tennis team at my high school. Reason 1: It’s a great way to make friends (or make more friends).Sports team often bring together a lot of different people (who may not have been friends otherwise). Joining a sports team willprovide you with a new group of friends, who you might not have met otherwise. Reason 2: It can be a great opportunity for leadership (which colleges love to see on your resume).Sports teams often elect a team captain, which gives that personthe opportunity to be a leader.Typically, team captains don’t have a lot of responsibility; usually, it’s more of an honorary title. If anything, team captains are responsible for boosting team morale. However, becoming team captain will still help boost your college applications becauseit shows schoolsthat you’re well-liked and could potentially be a leader at their school. Reason 3: It helps you stay active and relieve stress.High school is stressful, and playing sports helps relieve stress. Staying active through sportscan make you feel happier and have major health benefits. Reason 4: Depending on how good you are and what your goals are, participating in a sportcan help you get into college.If you rise to become a top player of thesport in your state, you might be recruited to play thatsport incollege, and you might also be offered a scholarship.NOTE: this is rare. This isn't the norm. Don’t count on being recruited to college for your sport.If you’re seriously interested in college athletic recruiting, learn about the process in our other guide. WhatBenefits Should You Not Expect to Get From Joining a Sport? While joining a team has many benefits (as you can see above), you shouldn’t join a team if you’re hoping it’ll be the extracurricular activity that gets you into college.Unless you’re in thetop 1% of players in your sport, it’s unlikely you’ll be recruited to play it for college. Also, admissions officers are not particularly impressed by your participation on a team.My friend, who is a former admissions officer, said it is one of the most common topics for personal statements.Admissions officers hate to read these personal statements because they’ve heard every high school sports story.They’ve read about you and your team overcoming some obstacle and winning. They’ve read about crushing defeats.In your personal statements, admissions officers want to see who you are and what makes you unique. Playing a sport will not make you unique since many students play sports. Don’t play a sport so that you seem â€Å"well-rounded† on your college application.Top schools no longer want well-rounded students.Top schools want students who are an expert in something.If you’re the number 1 ranked tennis player in your state, you’ll be impressive because you’re an expert in tennis.However, if you’re the 150th ranked tennis player in your state, the college likely won’t care.It’d be better for you not to play a sport and to be a state champion mathlete or a state science fair winner or a debate champion.These all prove expertise in a field.To read more about this expert philosophy, read our guide on how to get into Harvard and the Ivy League. If you're not that interested in playing a sport, don't do it! Playing a sport takes a lot of time. If you don't enjoy the sport, it's a huge time-suck from which you aren't getting many benefits.Consider spending your time doing anotheramazing extracurricular activitysuch as one of the activities mentioned below. What’s Next? If you’re interested in playing a sport, you should learn about what makes an amazing extracurricular activity for you college applications. Also, you should learn about how many extracurricular activities you need for college. Interested in learning about other great extracurricular opportunities? Learn more about job shadowing, community service, and volunteer abroad programs. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Your Complete College Application Timeline

Your Complete College Application Timeline SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips For many students and their parents, the college application process is a source of tremendous anxiety. Fear not. If you familiarize yourself with this process and devote enough time to it, I’m confident that you’ll be able to make it through unscathed and end up at a quality college. In this article, I’ll take you through the complete college application timeline, detailing what you should be doing at each point in your high school career to ensure that you can submit exceptional college applications. Overview of the College Application Process If you want to successfully complete the college application process and make yourself as competitive for college admission as possible, you will be directly or indirectly working on your college application well before your applications are due.In fact, if you have any intention of applying to selective colleges, this process can really begin as early as your freshman year. The major components of your application that will be evaluated are your transcript, your standardized test scores, your recommendations, your personal essay, and your extracurricular activities. In this article, I’ll walk you through an ideal college planningtimeline to ensure that you’re able to have every aspect of your final application be as strong as possible. Freshman and Sophomore Years While you don’t have to seriously think about what colleges you want to apply to before your junior year, your first two years of high school will influence the quality of your college application. Even though there are a fewcolleges including University of California schools that won’t consider your freshman grades, your sophomore grades will definitely factor into your high school GPA and help determine whether you’re accepted to the college of your choice. Pay attention to what classes you take.Selective colleges want to see that you’ve excelled in rigorous classes throughout your high school years.Some high schools are hesitant to allow students to take honors or AP classes in their junior years if they haven’t taken advanced classes in their first two years of high school. Furthermore, colleges are concerned with how many years you’ve taken core subjects (math, English, science, history, and foreign language).If you don’t take a foreign language or history class in your freshman or sophomore year, you’ll be a less competitive applicant. Also, make sure you’re involved in extracurricular activities. Colleges like to see that you've committed yourself to your extracurriculars. The student who has excelled in the same extracurricular activity throughout high school is a more impressive applicant than the student who first starts doing an extracurricular in his junior year. Start studying for the SAT/ACT.Generally, you should start studying for the SAT/ACT in your sophomore year or the summer before your junior year.We recommend that you take the SAT/ACT for the first time in the fall of your junior year. Start studying early to prepare yourself thoroughly. Calsidyrose/Flickr Fall of Junior Year In the fall of your junior year, you should take the SAT or ACT for the first time. Also, start researching colleges.You don’t need to finalize your list of schools at this point, but if you identify colleges you’re interested in, you’ll have a better sense of what you need to do to make yourself competitive for admission. Additionally, you’ll be able to determine your target score for the SAT or ACT. Then, you can decide if you need to retake your SAT/ACT, and you can figure out how to improve your score, if need be. Spring of Junior Year In the spring of your junior year, you should make a preliminary list of colleges you want to apply to.Use college finders, college search websites, and ranking lists to help you.Having this list will give you ample time to complete all your application requirements and ensure that you can reach your target scores on your standardized tests.Divide your list into reach, target, and safetyschools. If necessary, retake your SAT or ACT.Ideally, you’ll achieve your target score this time around. Again, make sure you’re prepared. Also, if you’re considering applying to any schools that recommend or require SAT Subject Tests, I advise you to take them in the spring of your junior year. Read our SAT Subject Test articles to figure out your target scores, help decide which ones to take, and for assistance in preparing. Finally, you should ask teachers if they’re willing to write recommendation letters for you.If you ask them early, your teachers will have more time to think about them, and you may get better recommendations. Keep in mind that many teachers will be bombarded by students asking for recommendations during your senior year. Summer Before Senior Year In the summer before your senior year, try to finalize your list of colleges.Make sure you’re familiar with the application requirements for each school. If you still need to take the SAT or ACT to reach your target score, do some intense studying over the summer. Also, start thinking about and preparing for your college application essays.Come up with ideas and write first drafts. The more you do over the summer, the less you'll have to worry about during the school year. Fall of Senior Year Most likely, the fall of your senior year will be rather busy. In the fall, you have to make sure your college applications are ready. Formally ask for recommendations early in the semester.Don’t wait until one week before your application deadlines to ask. Teachers who are too busy or inundated with recommendation requests may decline to write your lettersor will be unable to write you a good recommendation at the last minute. Polish your college essays.College essays take much more time than you think. Even though the essay isn’t that long, writing a great college essay can be time-consuming. Write multiple drafts, and if possible, allow your teachers and counselors to review your essays and offer advice. For years, I spent many hours helping procrastinating students revise college essays the night before their applications were due. I'm having painful flashbacks. Let's proceed. Typically, early decision and early action applications are due by November 15.If you apply early, the Oct. or Nov. SAT/ACT will most likely be your last chance to take the test.Early applicants are usually notified by early December regarding admissions decisions. For most colleges, regular decision application deadlines are January 1st, but some popular colleges have earlier deadlines.For example, the deadline for University of California applications is the end of November. Be aware of the deadlines for all the schools on your list. Make sure that you have submitted all necessary applications, forms, and score reports.Make a checklist for each school of what you need to submit. Luckily, your life may be easier because more colleges are using the Common Application. If you still need to take the SAT/ACT, do some quality studying and take the test in time so you can get your scores to the colleges.For most schools, the December tests will be your last opportunity, but a few colleges will allow you to submit scores from January or February. If you need financial aid, begin working on the financial aid process.Each college has its own financial aid requirements. Check the school’s website and financial aid office for requirements and deadlines for financial aid.If you want to be eligible for financial aid, make sure you complete the FAFSA.Become knowledgeable about financial aid and explore all your options to pay for college. Spring of Senior Year You'll hear about your regular decision applications by late March or early April. Hopefully, you'll be accepted by multiple colleges. Continue researching the colleges that accept you to choose the college that will be best for you.If you applied for financial aid, the colleges that accepted you will give you their financial aid offers shortly after they accept you. You can use the financial aid packages to determine how much you’ll have to pay for each school and factor that into your college decision.Typically, you have to decide which school you’ll attend by May 1. Special Message to the Procrastinators The college application timeline I’ve given you is ideal for maximizing the quality of your application and minimizing stress.Admittedly, many students don’t begin thinking about the college application process until the fall of their senior year. Some of these students are still able to successfully complete all of their applications and attend the college of their dreams. However, I think every student benefits from sticking to the college timeline I laid out.I know students who were unable to submit applications on time because they waited too long to start writing their essays. I know students who severely limited their college options because they didn’t do enough college research. Also, the majority of students I’ve worked with could have done better on their standardized tests if they had given themselves more time to study. Furthermore, you’ll be busy with school and extracurricular activities during your senior year. If you don’t start contemplating the application process until the fall of your senior year, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed given all of your other responsibilities. If you devote more time to this process earlier, it will be easier and you'll be more likely to accomplish your goals. What's Next? Do you need more information to successfully stick to this college application timeline? We've got tons of other guides and resources to help you plan. If you're struggling to find extracurricular activities, learn about the 3 best extracurricular activities for your college application. Are you starting to work on your college essay? Make sure you know how to write a great college essay. Finally, to help you stay on track, review the important college application deadlines you can't miss. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: