Put the summer between Junior and Senior years to good use:
- Get your Common App essay, and then any other essays, done.
- Decide on a reasonable college list. In my mind, "reasonable" means a couple of safeties that you KNOW you can get into, that you KNOW you can afford, and that you KNOW you could be happy attending. For top students, this can be a bit of an issue, since they sometimes tie their self worth into getting into a college that's a reach. Don't be that student, the one who thinks that any particular college is unworthy of them.
- Pare down that list to a reasonable number-- for many people, that means ballpark 10-12.
- Complete your Common App. It opens on August 1.
- Decide on where you'll apply EA or ED-- and know the difference between them. Have those apps ready to go at the start of the school year. Get the others in by Halloween.