College Admissions Timeline
This is a general timeline of things you should be thinking about each year of your high school career that will help you with college admissions.
9th grade: DISCOVERY AND PLANNING
Fall/Winter
– Take Myers-Briggs Personality Test
– Experiment with courses, activities, clubs, and sports
– Read books, magazines, articles
– Ask a lot of questions and develop relationships with your teachers
– Volunteer in the community
– Start actively practicing a foreign language
– Start developing a plan for your high school career
Spring/Summer
– SAT II Subject Tests
– Summer planning: Find a summer activity or a job that will contribute to self-discovery
10th grade: IMPLEMENTATION
Fall/Winter
– Take a trial run of the PSAT in October
– Finalize plan for your high school career and start implementing it
– Commit to 1-2 Extracurricular activities, get really involved, and develop a relationship with the leaders of that organization, sport, or club
– Continue reading and practicing a foreign language
– Find a volunteer organization or cause that you are passionate about and commit to it
Spring
– SAT II Subject Tests
– Summer planning: Find a summer job, volunteer activity that will develop specific skills
Summer
– Summer job/activity
– Start looking over the Common Application so you know what you will need to collect in the next 1 ½ years
– Start talking to people who are in college and ask them about their courses and experience
– Start doing college research
11th grade: HARD WORK
Fall/Winter
– Take the PSAT in October
– Take AP courses
– Continue reading and practicing a foreign language
– Assume a leadership role in an extracurricular activity
– Study!
Spring
– Take the SAT
– Meet with your college counselor and start putting together a college list
– Research colleges and college visits
– AP exams and SAT II Subject Tests
– Summer planning: Find a job, volunteer work, travel, sports camp…etc. that will challenge you. By now, you should have a general idea of what interests you
Summer
– Summer job/activity
– Register for ACT or SAT for fall
– Look over the Common Application and research colleges
– Create a list of colleges: safety, match, and reach schools
– Brainstorm college essay ideas and put together a brag sheet
12th grade: APPLICATIONS
September
– Register for SAT, SAT II Subject Tests and/or ACT
– Request letters of recommendation
– Run for leadership position in student council, volunteer organization, club, or sports team
– Finalize list of colleges and create chart of application deadlines (early decision, regular decision, FAFSA, CSS Profile)
– Take challenging classes and keep academic record strong
– Create an account with The Common Application
– Finalize your college essays and ask people you trust for feedback
October
– Take the SAT, SAT II Subject Tests, and/or ACT
– Attend college fairs
– Complete your application if you are applying early
– Ask for your high school transcript and review it
– Research scholarships and grants
November/December
– Submit early decision/action applications
– Submit scholarship and grant applications
– Make sure all test scores were sent to the colleges
– Make sure your letters of recommendation were sent and received
– Complete and submit your applications for regular decision before the January or February deadlines
– Prepare your FAFSA forms
– Study!!
January
– Submit the FAFSA according to the individual school’s deadlines
– Submit all remaining regular decision applications
February
– Make sure you received confirmation from colleges you applied to
– Register for AP exams
– Submit scholarship and grant applications
– If you submitted the FAFSA, you should receive the Student Aid Report (SAR): Look it over for any mistakes
– Study!!!
Spring
– Collect acceptance, rejection, and waitlist letters and compare financial aid packages
– If you are waitlisted, don’t just wait: Be proactive
– Notify schools that you have decided not to attend.
– May/June: Make sure you meet the deposit deadline of the school you want to attend.
– Avoid senioritis and study!
– Take AP exams.