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September • October • November • December • January
February • March • April • May • June • SummerFinalize your list. Make sure you have all applications required for college admission and financial aid. Write, phone, or use the Internet to request missing information. START WORKING ON THE ESSAYS IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE SO!
Check on application and financial aid deadlines for the schools to which you plan to apply (application checklist). They may vary and it is essential to meet all deadlines! Decide whether you will be applying early.
Review your transcript and co-curricular records with your school counselor to ensure their accuracy. Make sure you understand the counselor's procedures for providing recommendations and provide all requested materials as soon as possible. Will the counselor be sending the transcript and school profile along with the secondary school report, or will you? (Note: even if the counselor sends these, you may want to send these yourself to ensure they are included in your application file in a timely fashion.) Ask your counselor whether your list includes colleges appropriate to your academic and personal record.
Register for the October/November SAT Reasoning Test and/or SAT Subject Tests, or the September/October ACT.
Get in touch with the teachers you approached about recommendations at the end of junior year. Allow plenty of time before the due date, and provide teacher recommendation forms, any special instructions, and a stamped, addressed business envelope to each recommending teacher. Be thoughtful! Write thank-you notes to those who write recommendations and keep them informed of your decisions.
Plan visits to colleges and set up interviews (if you didn't get to them during the summer or if you want to return to a campus for a second time). Read bulletin boards and the college newspaper. Talk with current students and professors.Attend a regional college fair to investigate further those colleges to which you will probably apply: NACAC's National College or Performing and Visual Arts Fairs in Seattle are good places to get a lot of information at one time.
Send any Pre-Application Forms with fees to colleges that require them as soon as you are sure you will apply.If transcripts are confirmed accurate, order a sealed copy for each college you are applying to.
Check with your guidance counselor to make sure your transcript and school profile will be sent to the colleges to which you are applying.
If applying for early decision or early action, complete and send in your application now. Also start preparing applications for back-up schools. Remember, if you are accepted under the early decision option, you are expected to enroll at that college and to withdraw all other applications.
Submit financial aid information if requested from early decision/action candidates.
Register for the December/January SAT Reasoning Test and/or SAT Subject Tests, or December ACT if you have not completed the required tests or if you are not happy with your previous test scores and think you can do better.
Have official test scores sent by the testing agency to colleges on your list after all your testing is complete.
Attend college information sessions at high school and regional presentations.
For Regular Decision applicants, polish your Common Application and resume, and start on non-Common applications and supplementary essays.
Take the SAT Reasoning Test or SAT Subject Tests if appropriate. Don't forget to have test scores sent to colleges on your list.
Be sure your first quarter grades are good.
Continue completing applications to colleges. Make copies of all application materials before mailing the applications.
If you need financial aid, obtain a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) from your guidance office. Check to see if the colleges to which you are applying require any other financial aid form. Register for the CSC Profile if required and obtain the college's own financial aid forms, if available.
Keep all records, test score reports, and copies of applications for admission and financial aid. Do not throw anything away until at least the end of your first year in college. Having detailed records will save you time and effort should anything be lost or should you decide to apply in the future to other colleges and scholarship programs.Prepare supplementary materials for submission and mail before deadlines.
Send all applications by Thanksgiving!
Have official test scores sent to colleges on your list if you have not done so.
Consult your school counselor again to review your final list of colleges. Be sure you have all bases covered. It is a good idea to make copies of everything before you drop those envelopes in the mail. If for some reason your application gets lost, you will have a back-up copy. File your last college application.
If you applied for early decision, you should have an answer by now. If you are accepted, follow the instructions for admitted students. If the decision is deferred until spring or you are denied, submit applications to other colleges.Keep working hard in your classes! Grades and courses continue to count throughout senior year.
Verify that your applications and supplemental materials have been received. Do not call if less than three weeks have passed since you sent in your application.
Request that your counselor send the transcript of your first semester grades along with Mid-Year Reports to the colleges to which you applied.
Parents and students, complete your income tax forms as soon as possible. You will need those figures to fill out the FAFSA. Complete and return your FAFSA as quickly as possible after January 1. Check to make sure your colleges or state does not require any other financial aid forms. If they do, consult your guidance counselor or contact the college's financial aid office.Remember to monitor your applications to be sure that all materials are sent and received on time and that they are complete. Stay on top of things and don't procrastinate; you can ruin your chances for admission by missing a deadline.
Complete scholarship applications. You may be eligible for more scholarships than you think, so apply for as many as you can.
Enjoy your final year in high school, but don't catch senioritis!Stay focused and keep studying -- only a couple more months to go!
Do not take rolling admission applications for granted. (Some colleges do not have application deadlines; they admit students on a continuous basis.) These schools may reach their maximum class size quickly -- the earlier you apply, the more availability there may be.
Review your college acceptances and financial aid awards. Be sure to compare financial aid packages in your decision-making process. If you are positive you will not enroll at one or more of the colleges which accepted you, please notify those colleges that you have selected another college. Keeping colleges abreast of your plans might enable those colleges to admit someone else. If you know which college you will attend, send your tuition deposit and follow all other instructions for admitted students. You must decide which offer of admission to accept by May 1 (postmark date).By May 1, decide on the one college that you will attend. Send in your tuition deposit to the college you will attend. Notify the other colleges that accepted you that you have selected another college.
BE PROUD! You have completed a difficult task!
Thank everyone who has helped you!
If your first-choice college places you on their waiting list, do not lose all hope. Some students are admitted off the waiting list. Talk with your counselor, and contact the college to let them know you are still very interested. Keep the college updated on your activities. Click for more specific advice about the wait list process.
Take Advanced Placement examinations, if appropriate, and request that your AP scores be sent to the college you will attend. Virtually all colleges award course credits for AP scores, although the qualifying score will vary, usually with the selectivity of the institution..Request that your counselor send your final transcript to the college you will attend. Notify the college of any private scholarships or grants you will be receiving.
Know when the payment for tuition, room and board, meal plans, etc., is due. If necessary, ask the financial aid office about a possible payment plan that will allow for you to pay in installments.
Congratulations, you've made it through high school! Enjoy your graduation and look forward to college.Look for information in the mail from the college about housing, roommate(s), orientation, course selection, etc. Respond promptly to all requests from the college.
Ease the transition into college. Accept the fact that you'll be in charge of your academic and personal life. What you do, when you do it and how things get done will be up to you. You'll have new responsibilities and challenges. Think about budgeting your time and establishing priorities. Take charge of the changes that lie ahead and eliminate or minimize pressures. Go forth with confidence and enthusiasm, willingness to adapt and determination to succeed academically and personally.
Read these Tips for College Freshmen.
Pack for college. Don't forget to include things that remind you of friends and family. If your college doesn't provide guideless, you can get ideas from this handy Packing List!
Have a great freshman year!
