Ideally you'd want to plan as far ahead as possible. Freshman year in college is not too early.

• Nurture strong ties with faculty who will know you well enough to write you strong letters of recommendation.

• Keep all your class papers and research projects in case you need to reproduce them for the professors writing for you.

• Seek out research opportunities, one-to-one tutorials with professors, summer programs, and job opportunities that fuel your intellectual interest.

• Maintain a strong GPA.

• Practice taking the GREs and read up on test-taking skills and strategies.

• Establish a connection with someone who is capable of giving you critical feedback on your application.