To-do list for college applicants

Throughout the year, Your Schools will periodically publish advice from college counselors and admissions officials to high school seniors about the application process. The first, by Durham Academy counselor Kathy Cleaver, gives seniors an idea of what they should be doing now.

The school year has just begun, and many seniors can't help feeling they're already behind. Relax. Take a deep breath. This college to-do list should get you through the next couple of months.

1 - The biggest favor you can do for yourself is to organize your college materials. Put all those guidebooks, applications, invitations to area receptions and scholarship forms in one place -- a notebook, a file box, whatever.

2 - Pay attention to deadlines, especially those related to SAT and ACT test registration, applications, financial aid and scholarships, matriculation deposits, etc. Be sure to note whether the deadline is a postmark or a "received by" date.

Create a calendar of important dates, and refer to it often.

3 - Complete the list of colleges you want to apply to. Get it done by late September or early October if you're applying to colleges with November deadlines. Not applying that early? Then finish the list by early December.

It should include at least two colleges in each of these categories:

* Reaches -- These are the toughest to get into.

* 50/50 -- Your "maybe" list, the schools that are reasonably likely to admit you.

* Most likely -- The ones likeliest to accept you.

How do you know which ones are which? Assess yourself honestly. What's your grade-point average? Is it weighted or unweighted? (A 4.0 doesn't look as hot on a 6.0 scale.) How did you score on the SAT or ACT? What courses have you taken? What are your extracurricular activities?

Then research the colleges on your list; check the percentage of applicants admitted. This will give you a sense of where you fall in a school's admission range.

The most selective schools, which admit fewer than 20 percent of applicants, should always be on your "reach" list, no matter how strong your academic profile is. You should spend just as much time thinking about your "most likely" choices. They're the colleges likeliest to accept you and that you're likeliest to attend.

Don't panic if you're having trouble making up your mind. Focus less on the names of specific colleges and more on the criteria you'll use to choose, such as: size of the school, location, curriculum, personality of the students and campus, and access to academic and extracurricular facilities.

Use those criteria to see which schools fit best. Two Web sites can help you generate an initial list: www.collegeboard.com and www.princetonreview.com.

4 - Decide who will write your letters of recommendation, and get going now if you're facing November application deadlines. Otherwise, get this done by mid-November.

Most selective schools -- the ones that get more applications than they have spaces available -- require recommendations from a school official (usually a guidance or college counselor) and up to two teachers. Ask two teachers from different academic departments who know you and your abilities well. Teachers from your junior or senior year are preferred.

Ask the teacher, "Do you feel you know me well enough to write a positive recommendation for me?" The teacher will usually write a general recommendation and attach a copy to each college form you provide. Be courteous. Give teachers the recommendation form, a stamped, addressed envelope for each college and a list of your application deadlines.

You also might consider giving each recommender a list of your extracurricular activities and academic highlights to make the recommendation more personal.

One last tip: Ask early. Some teachers get many requests and cannot accommodate all of them.