Most experts recommend that as soon as you enter high school you should start thinking about high school.

You don't have to pick a college or program that you would like to apply for right away but you might as well take classes in high school that you think might be useful to helping you understand yourself better and help to identify possible career paths for the future.

If you are a good athlete you may wish to try out for one of the sports teams at high school. Universities are always looking for talent in a wide variety of sports and if can reach the elite level you may draw their attention. An athletic scholarship is a great and free way to attend many of the best schools in the country.

Here are a few other suggested things that you can do in your high school years to get you ready for college.

In your freshman year you should talk to your high school counselor about the general requirements for getting into college and you need to decide if you want to take college preparation courses. That might include specific math or science courses and maybe even another language.

In your sophomore year you should consider taking the PSAT (Preliminary SAT). That will give you a general idea what the SAT test will be like in the future and also point out your weaknesses early so that you can work on them. You should also continue taking math and science courses that might be of value to you in college.

In your junior year you should begin to decide the type of colleges that you might be interested in attending and start visiting ones nearby to get a feel for what the campus life will be like there. You will also need to see what your financial options might be and it's a good idea to try out a SAT to see how that process works.

In your senior year you need to take your SATs and review how to fill out college applications. Apply for scholarships and check out FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Send out applications and attend information sessions or open house sessions put on by colleges that have accepted you to get a sense of that college.

Then you are ready to choose your school and start packing for your new life as a college student. Good luck with your studies.