Freshman Year:

• career exploration, begin developing real relationships with profs, especially your advisor
• add extra-curricular activities as they interest you. Be truly involved.
• make sure your community service choices are meaningful and relevant to your goals
• keep up your grades

Summer thereafter: 

• summer school (here or abroad)
• internship or volunteer work if you can afford
• if you must work, look for a meaningful job were you will learn useful skills or try to work at night and volunteer during the day

Sophomore Fall:

• if a science major, applications for Goldwater scholarship
• look into study abroad and internship programs
• for some majors spring of the sophomore year is an ideal time to study abroad
• consider a Boren scholarship
• by now you should know your advisor or some professor in your major who functions as your mentor/advisor very well

Sophomore Spring: 

• finalize study abroad and internship plans
• good times for on-campus jobs which are career related
• make a point of getting to know at least 2-3 professors in your major so they know you well enough to help you and to write informed recommendations for you

Summer thereafter: 

• internship, career-related employment, summer institutes, study abroad or summer school
• gather info listed during junior semesters if you will be studying abroad during junior year

Junior Year Fall: 

• applications for Truman, Goldwater, Boren, Pickering,  and Udall scholarships. 
• make preliminary arrangements for your undergraduate thesis or inquire about a senior research project in the sciences.
• search for and apply for summer internships. 
• attend conferences and submit papers for publication. 
• on-campus jobs should be career-related. 
• Study Abroad

Junior Year Spring: 

• finalize arrangements and begin work on undergraduate thesis
• gather and begin work on applications for Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright , Mitchell, Gates-Cambridge and other scholarships
• take one part of the GRE, begin prep for LSAT, MCAT or other exams
• attend conferences and submit papers for publication
• on-campus jobs should be career-related
• Study Abroad
• education majors should inquire about student teaching abroad

Summer thereafter: 

• take second part of GRE, take LSAT and other exams
• grad school search
• prep for all applications
• attend the late August HC Career Workshop

Senior Year Fall:

• Applications!!!! for all major post-grad scholarships, for grad and professional schools, for jobs
• last chance to retake exams if scores were low
• register for a very light load if applying for grad/professional schools

Senior Year Spring: 

• take synthesis course if not a student-teaching ed major
• a good place to take required courses outside your major that you have been dreading or postponing
• follow up on applications

Summer thereafter: Varies widely. Grad students may want to start  graduate programs now to complete the masters in time to apply for following PHD admissions cycle in March.

Enchancements:

• study abroad 
• community service
• conferences
• publications
• internships
• meaningful work
• extra training - skills
• extra curricular activities, but only if you actually made real contributions
• tough, upper-level courses outside your major
• competency in at least one foreign language
• competent writer
• critical thinking skills
• actually producing something you can show them
• undergraduate thesis
• public speaking skills
• connections! (personal and affiliation with nationally known organizations)