1. Get to know your teachers and college advisors. Teacher recommendations are very important. The difference between a teacher who raves about you and one who gives a tepid endorsement can be key.

2. Take the tough science courses. This will help you decide whether medical school is right for you.

3. Take an SAT prep course and work at expanding your vocabulary. Selective schools want you to have a 1400. (But if they know that your parents did not go to college, and you did not grow up in a home that expanded your knowledge and vocabulary, you can get away with a 1200.)

4. Develop one or two deep interests. Colleges are not necessarily looking for well -rounded applicants with lots of interests. Instead, they want to create a diverse community with students who have strong individual interests. So use ninth and tenth grade as a time to try many activities to see which ones you most enjoy. Then concentrate on achieving some success or depth of knowledge/experience in the one or two areas you like best. Try to have a leadership position, if possible by your senior year.

5. Practice your essay writing techniques. You have several years to find the right topic for your college admissions essay: one that grabs the reader up front and tells something important about who you are. But it’s never too early to start becoming a good essay writer. Admissions officers read 15-20 essays a day, so they appreciate good writing and a topic that isn’t boring. They probably read 100 essays on “How I discovered poverty on my summer vacation in Costa Rica,” so you have years to come up with something more creative.