Talk with your guidance counselor about your academic potential and about things you can do now to prepare for college, such as enrolling in more challenging academic courses. Your guidance counselor can give you personality and aptitude tests that can help you determine where your interests lie and what careers you may be good at in the future, if you do not already have a set career plan.
Talk openly with your parents about your feelings about college and about what your dream job is. It is best to be honest with your parents and tell them exactly that you would like to study in college, whether it be art, biology or acting. You can also ask your parents how much they would be able to contribute financially to your education, if at all. Your parents may also be able to give you some firsthand advice about choosing a college and an area of study if they had gone to college.
Take tours of local colleges with your parents on a weekend or school holiday. Look at technical colleges, 2-year schools and 4-year universities to see what feels right for you. While at each college, you may have the opportunity to meet a recruiter or admissions director, and you will be able to pick up a course catalog that will allow you to see all of the programs offered.
Use the Internet and research colleges of your interest that are more than 100 miles away or out of state. Read about the educational opportunities offered at these institutes, what programs that school is known for and how much tuition is for a semester. Do not limit yourself to only schools in your immediate area or state.