1. Start preparing for the SAT/ACT. Do you know which is a better test for you? Take a practice test of each, and compare your scores. No school will ask you to have scores from both tests, so figure out now where you will concentrate your study efforts. We don't yet know which schools will be test optional, and having a good score will always help you. Start now, make a study plan, and stick to it. Slow and steady wins the race!
2. Review the recent school year and plan for the next. Look at your transcript and grades from this year. Is everything as expected? If not, contact your school right away to get that taken care of. Junior year is a tough year! Are your study skills and organizational strategies ready to keep you feeling on top of things? If you were just hanging on during sophomore year, spend some time this summer working on strategies. (Put those to use on your SAT/ACT study plan!)
3. Activities - What did you do outside of class, both in and out of school? Granted, it was a strange year, and extracurricular options may have been quite different and limited. Nevertheless, what did you do? Did you enjoy it, or do you want to try something totally different? If you are sticking with an activity, what leadership positions may be open for you as a junior or senior? Start to aim toward positions of increasing responsibility. Trying something totally different? Follow your talents. What are you good at, and how can you do more of it? Write down your activities and hours for everything you did during school, and everything you're doing over the summer.
4. Read things! All kinds of things! College applications involve a lot of writing, and being a good writer is helped along by being a wide-ranging reader. Read your local paper. Know what is going on in your community and in the wider world. What topics do you find interesting - politics, technology, social justice? Read about your interests. Many colleges have interviews. Can you talk about the things you're interested in? Can you take a position and support that position with evidence?
5. Catch up on your sleep, and establish good sleep habits to take with you into your junior year and beyond. This has a profound effect on academics, as well as on overall health and well-being.