1. If you are still in High School, check with your guidance counselor and some potential colleges to be sure you are taking the right High School courses to meet college entrance requirements. Your GPA will probaly be important, so do your best in your classes. You can find out the average GPA ( and SAT or ACT) and test scores of incoming freshment to almost any college by contacting the admissions office and requesting the infromation. Get invovled in an extra-curricular activity, join the National Honor Society.

2. By all means go and visit a college you may be interested in attending. Check out the dorms, the classrooms, sit in on a class you are interested in. Talk to some students. Check out the library and other study areas. Eat a meal in the cafeteria.

3. You will need to take the SAT or ACT as an entrance exam. There are some excellent practice materials available for these tests, and practice can make a big difference in your score. Use practice material that are the same format (electronic, paper, etc) as the test you will be taking. You can register on-line, or talk to your High School Counselor. (see source below for links)

4. Find out if there is an entrance essay required. If so, prepare for it by finding practice essay questions.

5. Your Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) and enrollment application should be completed as soon as possible. The FAFSA requires tax information from the previous year, so it is usually not possible to finish it before February for the upcoming year. College admissions offices hndle your application, and each of them have their own opening and closing date for accepting applications. Both the FAFSA and many applications can be completed online.

6. Read all you can about your college choices. find out about their accreditation and reputation in your field of choice. Talk to some graduates.

7. Never doubt yourself. Hundreds of thousands of students attend college each year, you can do it also if you want it and are willing to work for it.

Good luck.

sources:
http://sat.collegeboard.com/register?s_kwcid=TC-3529-6005366890-e-626953202
http://www.actstudent.org/
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/#

Take a speed reading course as soon as you can.

Yes, it is possible to graduate in less than four years and there are various ways of doing it. One option you can explore is taking CLEP tests to prove your proficiency in certain subject matters. It will give you credit for college courses and eliminate the need for you to take them at school. You can also opt for accelerated degree programs that some colleges offer. These programs allow students to graduate in less than normal completion time. For example, California College San Diego’s Fastflex college degree programs can be completed in shortest possible time. You can browse through these programs for more details.