Timelines
As students aspiring to attend the college of your choice, you need to follow the 4-year timeline to ensure you stay on track to reach your goals for college.
Freshman Year Timeline
- Monitor academic progress
- Encourage involvement in a wide variety of activities
- Start exploring the type of college/university that you want to attend
- Select challenging, but appropriate 10th grade courses
- Explore attending a summer program at a college/university
- Schedule your CPR (College Preparatory Review) meeting with the School Counselor to review academic progress and PLAN test results
Obtain 10 hours of community service by fall exams and 25 hours of community service by the spring exams.
Sophomore Year Timeline
- Continue to monitor academic progress
- Continue to encourage involvement in activities and the development of leadership skills
- Take the PSAT in October
- Attend local college fair
- Select challenging, but appropriate 11th grade courses
- Schedule college visits to colleges/universities that interest you
- Schedule your CPR (College Preparatory Review) meeting the with School Counselor to review academic progress and PSAT test results
Obtain 35 hours of community service by fall exams and 50 hours of community service by the spring exams.
Junior Year Timeline
September
- Prepare for the PSAT (review last year’s results)
- Assess your schedule – Review the core class and graduation requirements
October
- Take the PSAT (This test determines National Merit Scholars and the scores are made public to colleges wanting to contact top students)
- Attend College Fair
December – February
- Review the results of your PSAT to prepare for the SAT I
- Register for the spring round of ACT tests and SAT tests
- Make an appointment to meet with your School Counselor for your CPR (college preparatory review) meeting
- Prepare for SAT/ACT-explore the option of taking a review course
- Plan for a challenging senior year
March
- During spring break, visit colleges to gain a sense of the various options
- Collect information on colleges
- Register for SAT and ACT if you have not already done so
- Decide if you need to take the SAT II based on colleges’ requirements and register for the June test date
- Continue SAT/ACT preparation
April
- Work to refine your initial college list
- Work on your resume
- Visit colleges
- Select two teachers to write your letters to recommendation and give them a copy of your resume and a form from the Counseling Office (teachers need at least a three week notice to write you a letter)
May
- Plan your summer college visits and schedule interviews
- Begin thinking about Early Action or Early Decision possibilities
- Begin researching private sources of financial aid (parents, employers, community resources, etc.)
- Turn in resume to Counseling Office by May 2nd
- Prepare for SAT II
- Take your AP tests
- Finish the year strong!
June – August
- Continue researching, visiting, and collecting information about colleges
- Talk with returning college students about their college experiences
- Make corrections and additions on your resume
- Start planning topics for your college essays and write rough drafts
- Refine list of colleges
- Know Early Decision and Early Action schools
- Begin work on college applications – The more you get done over the summer, the less hectic the fall will be
- Apply as early as you can to school of your choice. There are some schools that accept applications as early as August 1st
Obtain 60 hours of community service by fall exams and 75 hours of community service by the spring exams.
Senior Year Timeline
August
- Senior parent meeting regarding financial aid
September
- Request current admissions materials for any additional colleges to which you intend to apply
- Visit colleges
- Continue working on personal statement/essay for applications
- Finalize your college applications and submit the necessary paperwork to the Counseling Office
- Organize all application material
- Work on essays in English class or with English teacher
- Make a note of all deadlines – application for admissions as well as scholarships and financial aid
- Meet with college representatives visiting the school
- Decide whether or not to file and Early Action or Early Decision application
- Register for October SAT I and SAT II
- Finalize work on all college application and pay attention to deadlines
October
- Continue working on applications and pay attention to deadlines
- Meet with college representatives visiting the school
- Attend the College Fair
November
- Meet with college representatives visiting the school
- Complete applications
- Register for a PIN for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Pay attention to announce scholarships and complete scholarship applications
December
- If accepted under Early Decision, withdraw all other applications
- Check on need for alumni review
- Notify Counseling Office of college acceptances
- Complete the 110 hour service requirement needed to graduate
January
- Watch for all deadlines – financial aid, scholarships, etc
- File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Complete the student portion of the Bright Futures Scholarship paperwork
February
- Decide if more applications should be filed
- Mid-year grades will be sent to colleges
- Mail any supplementary information that may be helpful
March
- Notify the Counseling Office of all college acceptances and scholarships
April
- Revisit colleges if necessary
- Work closely with your School Counselor if you are wait-listed at any school
May
- Take AP exams
- Send tuition deposit to your first choice college by their deadline
- Inform other colleges that you will not be enrolling
June
- Final transcripts will be sent to the colleges of your choice
Obtain 85 hours of community service by fall exams and 100 hours of community service by the spring exams.