Sophomore
Year |
Get involved at school, clubs, organizations, athletics, student government, community service, religious organizations
Research career, scholarship and college information sources (library/internet).
Take the PLAN test (“pre-ACT”) as a sophomore |
Junior Year
September |
Sit down with a “qualified” College Funding Consultant that knows the “formula” for qualifying for “need based financial aid” and review your financial situation to make any last minute changes before entering your “base year”.
Check with your counselor to make sure your course credits will meet or exceed college requirements. Colleges expect to see 3-4 years of math and science, 4 years of English, 3 years foreign language and depending on the college, a few Advanced Placement (AP) Classes! Schedule the “Discover Career Assessment” through your local high school guidance office. If your school doesn’t offer it, contact Trisha at www.insightadvisorsaz.com Deciding on an area of study is critical, and should not be taken lightly. Not knowing a field of study is the number one reason for students changing “majors” or colleges. Spending time here can save you thousands of dollars in the long run!Be sure to get involved with one or two extracurricular activities.Go online to www.fastweb.com, www.collegeboard.com and register for your personal scholarship search and check out the other services they offer for college information gathering.Begin building your “college file” on colleges of interest for your major. Secure their website and catalog for future reference. Be sure to attend the National College Fair. |
October |
Register for and take the PSAT. High School junior year PSAT scores qualify you for the National Merit Scholarship Competition. To become a finalist, you need great grades, High SAT scores and a recommendation from your school. |
November |
Strive to get the best grades you can. Now, a serious effort will provide you with the most options during the application process. When colleges look at transcripts, they put a heavy emphasis on junior year grades, so put in the extra time! |
December |
Begin to read newspapers and weekly news magazines to get updated on college news. Consider enrolling in an ACT/SAT prep course taught by a “qualified” instructor with either a guarantee or references such as www.studyworks.com |
January |
With your guidance counselor, decide when to take the ACT, SAT I, and SAT II Subject Test (and which Subject tests to take). Don’t just settle for one board exam if there is a possibility of going out of state. The “best” schools for your major are not always in AZ! |
February |
Plan a challenging class schedule for your senior year.Think about which teachers you will ask to write recommendations for you.Secure the upcoming dates of the College Fairs at your school. ACT and the National Association for College Admission Counseling are supporting an Online College Fair. This is an interactive and free college access tool that allows students and parents to chat live with colleges and universities via the Internet. Through virtual Q&A chat sessions, students learn about each institution, including admission requirements, financial aid, major fields of study and more. |
March |
Register for the test you will take this Spring (ACT, SAT I, and SAT II).Meet with your school counselor to discuss college choices.Review your transcript and test scores with your counselor to determine how competitive your range of choices should be.Develop a preliminary list of 15-20 schools that are nationally ranked for your “major” and start searching for information on them. Ruggs Recommendations on the Colleges, and The Gourman Report are excellent places to start! They are in the College Reference section of your local library, and your guidance counselors have them as well. |
May |
Structure your summer plans to include advanced academic work, travel, volunteer work, or a job.Confirm your academic schedule for the Fall.Get verbal commitments form 3 teachers to write Recommendation Letters for you in the Fall. |
Summer |
Begin working on your application essays.Write to any college on your list that does not accept the Common or Universal Applications to request application forms. |
Senior Year |
|
September |
Ask the teachers if they have prepared your recommendation letter (don’t forget to write thank you letters when they accept).Meet with your counselor to compile your final list of colleges.Write for college catalogs and applications.Start scheduling campus visits at schools still on your list over the next 2 months.Be sure to attend upcoming College Fairs to pick up any last minute information you need. Many will have application fee waivers if picked up there. |
October |
For the most competitive, private “profile schools” (list on www.collegeboard.com), the CSS/Financial Aid Profile Registrations are accepted after September 15th, as many of these colleges want them by Nov/Dec. Call Campus Advisers to be sure your asset planning is done before the CSS/Profile is completed! It takes 3 to 5 times longer to submit this form and the info needs to agree with FAFSA which is submitted no earlier than January. |
November |
Prepare your list of final colleges!November 1st – 15th many early applications are due for competitive schools!Apply to colleges via the internet if possible. Most fees are waived! |
December |
Review EFC projections with Campus Advisers |
January |
We will submit your FAFSA in January/February for incoming college freshman and February/March for returning college students. Colleges have a tendency to be more generous with aid early in the process and gradually become stingy as resources are depleted. If you wait to apply for aid until after the deadline, the college may have little aid left to offer you. |
February |
You will receive the SAR (Student Aid Report), the information needs to be “revised” using completed tax return information, and submitted to the colleges.Forward all mid-year grades to all colleges where you submitted applications.Submit completed scholarship forms. |
March/April |
All colleges will notify you by this time if they accept you or not. The more competitive colleges usually deliberate longer and many of these top schools wait until the first week of April to notify you. This is the time when you finally hear of your student’s offer for any/all financial aid, i.e. scholarships, grants, loans, work study. If there is room for “negotiation” to improve your financial package, we will advise accordingly. |
Late April |
Send your deposit to your “college of choice” and inform the others of your decision. |
May 1 |
Notify your Guidance Office of your choice of college.Inquire about student and parent loan applications, if you are considering borrowing to cover some of your college costs. If your college does not participate in direct lending, shop around for lenders for the Stafford, Perkins, PLUS and/or alternative loans. However, it is normally best practice to use the lenders offered through the colleges. Complete and return your student and parent loan application to the appropriate lender. If your school processes financial aid electronically, call the office for specific procedures. |
May/June |
Graduate, and enjoy your accomplishment! |
Summer |
Attend college orientation. Strive to finish in four years |
