Battlefrog

Start with tires, get a decent A/T tire and go from there. Having a good set of tires will help you GREATLY while on the trail. Having a winch is always a good thing, along with undercarriage protection. They are pretty well armored right off the lot, so you could always look into diff covers and maybe an oil pan skid.The OEM covers are junk and very fragile.

jkjacksonjack

I would fix the front axle. They are a known weakness. It doesnt matter what else you do if you bend the front axle your up the creek . Tubes and truss it. I've been reading about slide in tubes that can save you some money.

I have a 2012 and bought it 2 weeks ago. I have an appointment this week to get it done.

jeep2007

As mentioned, there are so many different places to start a build. Given your info, research as much as possible. Hit the trail a few times and see what you like/don't like.

I would recommend following your thoughts for a stubby bumper and winch. Skid a few things and gusset the Cs. Good luck and Congrats on school.