Middle School
Build good study habits
Start the conversation about college and careers
9thGrade (Freshman year)
Join extracurricular activities
Begin volunteering
Build a good base for your GPA
Take challenging classes
Begin exploring topics/majors that would interest you
Get to know your high school guidance counselor
10th Grade (Sophomore year)
Take a practice ACT & SAT
Keep working on your GPA
Take challenging classes (like honors and AP courses)
Make sure you are taking a foreign language throughout high school
Start exploring college options (location, size, public/private, cost,etc.), you may even want to visit a
college or two in your sophomore year to get a feel for it.
Summer of 10th grade should be spent exploring college options and making a schedule for visiting colleges in junior year
11th Grade (Junior year)
Fall
Take challenging classes (continue to work on your GPA)
Start visiting colleges
Begin ACT/SAT prep (including a schedule of when you’ll be taking each test and how many times)
Determine additional requirements that may exist at your colleges of choice (SAT Subject Tests,
vaccination records, essays, interviews, etc.) in order to prepare for them early
Take the PSAT
Take a leadership role in an extracurricular activity
Spring
Meet with your counselor to review the colleges you’ve visited and come up with a good list of schools
to apply to.
Take the ACT/SAT/SAT Subject tests, these are each offered about every other month so plan ahead
and start early!
Continue with a foreign language
Focus on GPA
Take AP tests
12th Grade (Senior year)
August
Plan for final ACT/SAT dates
Finalize list of colleges to apply to (this should have some safety schools, match schools, and reach
schools); contact your counselor if you are unsure of what schools should be on your list
Verify that the classes you signed up for meet the requirements of each school on your list and continue taking challenging classes as colleges do look at your senior year schedule in admissions decisions
September
Schedule interviews at colleges which require a personal interview for admission
Request letters of recommendation from teachers, coaches, employers, or other relevant people (make
sure to send thank you cards when these are completed)
Create a chart with deadlines for each school, each portion of the application, and personal deadlines for essay writing, application completion, and testing
Work on your college application essays (get assistance from a counselor or tutor if this is not your strong suit)
October
Complete early decision or early action applications
Visit college fairs
Finalize essays
Request high school transcripts early, and make sure you have reviewed it before having it sent to a
college
Update your deadline chart as things are completed or added to the list
November
Begin to research scholarships and financial aid. Learn about the FAFSA.
Finalize applications and essays (most will be due next month!)
Double check that all components of each application have been completed
You should have completed all college admissions tests at this point- if you have not, discuss this with a counselor.
December
Turn in all applications
Confirm receipt of materials by each college to which you applied
Submit the FAFSA
Submit mid-year grades to colleges that require a senior year mid-year update
Continue to work on your GPA and extra curriculars
Start narrowing down the list of scholarships to apply to
January
Begin applying for scholarships
You will start to receive decisions soon (especially early decision, early action, and rolling admissions).
Make sure to think about each school very carefully and follow the directions for notifying the schools of your decision
Keep your grades up- colleges can revoke an admissions decision for declining grades.
February - April
Receive decisions from colleges and return your decision following the directions very carefully (keep
track of all decisions very carefully- an excel spreadsheet is very helpful for this)
Think about housing decisions
Review FAFSA student aid report and start making plans for finances
Continue to apply for scholarships
Register and take AP exams
Keep your grades up
Go to accepted students’ open houses if available
May - June
Make final decision on which college you will be attending
Make the required deposit by their deadline
Finalize housing decisions
Take AP exams
Send final transcript to colleges that require it
Continue to work on scholarships and financing your education (including loans)
Send thank you letters to those that helped you along the way
Enjoy your graduation!
