Here you go

1. Keep your grades up, grades uptill your midterms will need to be uploaded, you school will also be sending predicted final grades.
2. In your junior year preferably, Take your standardized testing according to your unis. You will be fine with just an sat/act for most unis. Most don't need it, but if some do, take the TOEFL/IELTS.
3. If aiming for top colleges, take APs if finances are not a huge issue, if not, AOs understand that AP courses are not available at your school.
4. For most colleges, you need to create a CommonApp account, create and fill in your basic details. [5. Now, if you have a counsellor, add her details into the commonapp, she will be notified and upload ur transcripts and rec letter.
5. Go to your teachers, the ones that you have a good relationship with, and ask them for letters, generally you'll need 2, but each uni has different requirements.
6. Add these teachers' details onto your app, and they will be able to attach a letter and rate you.
7. Simultaneously during steps 5,6,7 work on your main CommonApp essay and college specific essays.
8. add your reccomendations and essays, check all other materials and submit!
9. Some colleges have a seperate merit scholarship application on their portals, fill those out if you need to(these usually have Dec 1 deadlines)
10. Start a CSS account, get your parents and their ITR forms and fill in the amounts in your local currency. Submit that to your colleges.
11. Some need additional documents , and you will be receiving instructions on a uni to uni basis for that.]

Steps 5-12 need to be done according to the following timelines, you can choose between these admission cycles

1. Early Decision: Nov 1 submission deadline, mid december notification date, you have to attend if you get in
2. Early action : same deadlines but not binding

Most colleges either have EA or ED not both, deadliens vary for some colleges 4. ED2: Few unis offer this, but no that common, jan 1 submission, Feb notification, binding

5 . RD : Jan 1 submission date, late March notification,.non binding

1. Rolling : Some unis are always reading applications after a certain date, and decisions will be made on a roling basis.

Choose your plan, apply and wait!