College Planning | Timeline | Application | Search | Scholarship | Financial Aid | Entrance Tests
Know Your Timeline
As you and your teen get ready for the journey to college, the following timelines are important for your teen to follow. You don't want to put off preparing until the last minute, because you can miss important deadlines for testing, admissions, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities. If you need assistance with this college planning process, you can always contact your teen's school counselor, who can aid you in this journey.
Junior Year Activities
Fall – Winter
- Contact colleges/programs of interest for visitations –visit some during school breaks ... the College Search webpage provides links to colleges in your local area and ways to search for nationwide campus information.
- Review your transcript with your guidance counselor.
Spring – Summer
- Continue to visit colleges/programs of interest – spring break and summer are great times to visit out of town schools!
- Take the ACT or SAT
- Start search for scholarships ...
- Select teachers, family friends to write recommendations
- Prepare your resume (for scholarships and applications) and save it to update as needed
- Prepare some general application essays
Senior Year Activities
September – November
- Take ACT or SAT ... for scholarships / certain schools
- Contact colleges / programs of interest to set up visits
- Start applying for scholarships – see your school counselor for an updated list
- Review your transcript with your counselor
- Contact teachers, family friends to write recommendations
- Refine your resume and update it as needed
November – December
- Get your applications in EARLY by Thanksgiving – watch for deadlines, apply to more than one institution, and pick one in your local area ... just in case!
- Retake ACT or SAT if necessary
- Intensify your search for scholarships
January – February
- Financial aid – prepare your income tax early, financial aid forms need to be filed as soon as possible. Know your colleges' priority deadlines! Get it done by February 15 and you will be safe.
March – June
- Watch for admission letters to arrive
- Make your final decisions
- Notify your counselor of where to send your final transcript
- Get ready to go to school!!!
College Planning | Timeline | Application | Search | Scholarship | Financial Aid | Entrance Tests