SEPTEMBER – JUNE
Fall semester is the time when everything you have done as a high school student comes together for college admissions. This is your one opportunity to let college admissions officers know who you are and what makes you unique among applicants. Frankly, that’s not difficult to do.
- Simply take the time to carefully fill out the applications, making sure that there are NO omissions or mistakes.
- Think through what you want colleges to “get” about who you are.
- Write very good, interesting, personal application essays.
- Also make sure your recommenders provide detailed information about your academic record, personal background and extracurricular activities.
- If you can, try to meet (and if possible, interview with) college representatives assigned to your school (at your own high school, at the colleges, or at informational meetings in your city).
By going the extra mile, you will be successful in your college admissions.
SEPTEMBER
APPLICATIONS
Calendar
- Taking into consideration your schoolwork, sports and activities, block out time each week from now until December to work on applications.
- Note application/financial and other due dates on your calendar so that you can work out a schedule to complete all on time.
College Admissions Offices/Representatives
- Make final arrangements for any fall college interviewing trips.
- Meet any college representatives of colleges on your list that come to your high school for information sessions.
- Attend any college information sessions in your city.
- Make arrangements for alumni interviews in your hometown.
- Gather, download and print applications for your final college list. Check the Common Application website first and then individual college websites.
- Identify essay questions for all applications and put them on an essay grid to see how the questions might overlap.
- Decide on a focus for your applications; i.e., what you do you want admissions readers to “get” about you?
- Begin brainstorming ideas for essay questions that reveal something about who you really are as a student and person. Use personal stories and your activities resume to come up with these ideas.
- Decide whether or not you want to complete any early applications. Check the early application deadlines, many of which are at the end of October/first of November.
- Begin filling out any rolling admissions applications, early and/or first choice college applications.
- Give your high school counselor, teachers and/or other recommenders materials for early applications including filled-out top part of forms, addressed/stamped envelopes, a list of the early colleges and their respective due dates, and activities resume. Find out if your school and/or teachers and counselor will be using on-line recommendation forms.
Filing System
- Create a file for each of the colleges to which you plan to apply.
- If you haven’t already, meet with your high school counselor to go over your college list. Review your transcript and activities resume to make sure that they are accurate and complete.
- If you haven’t already, meet with special teachers to ask them to fill out the teachers recommendation forms.
- Ask people who know something special about you (other than teachers and the school counselor) to write recommendations.
Letters Of Recommendation Packages
- Put together recommendation packages and give them to your high school counselor, teachers and/or other recommenders materials for early applications.
- Sign up for any SAT, ACT, or Subject Tests that still need to be taken.
OCTOBER
- Complete your early, rolling, or first choice school applications and mail/email them in time to meet the college deadlines. Most early deadlines are at the end of October, beginning of November.
- Don’t forget to print or photocopy everything that you send colleges.
- File all admissions applications, test scores, etc. in your filing system. Don’t throw anything away!
- Make sure that your high school counselor, teachers and other recommenders send off their recommendation packages for your early, rolling applications.
- Have test scores sent by College Board or ACT to the colleges to which you are sending early applications.
College Admissions Offices/Representatives
- Make arrangements for any on-site or alumni interviews offered by colleges to which you are applying early.
- Meet any college rep of colleges on your list that comes to your high school for an information session.
- Attend any city meeting of colleges on your list.
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Remembering, that many colleges pay close attention to first semester, sometimes even quarter grades, keep your grades as high as you can.
NOVEMBER
- Continue completing and mailing/email top-choice college applications, recycling essays from applications already completed.
- Have test scores sent by College Board or ACT to the colleges to which you are sending applications.
- Don’t forget to print or photocopy and file everything that you send colleges.
- Get the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE financial aid forms from your high school counselor or download them off the FAFSA or CSS Profile websites. Apply for your online PIN numbers.
DECEMBER
- Complete and mail all applications by the end of the month, but preferably before the end of school. It will be very useful to have all admissions tasks done by New Years.
- Don’t forget to print or photocopy all pages of your applications before emailing or send them.
- Have your transcript sent to each college.
Follow-up With Colleges
- If you have not yet been contacted by colleges whose applications you have completed regarding interviews, call the admissions offices to inquire how/when they will take place.
- Make sure that your high school counselor has completed all of the School Report forms.
- Make sure that your teachers and other recommenders have sent in their respective forms and letters.
JANUARY
- Students with Early Decision acceptances need to say yes to that one school. Withdraw applications to other colleges.
- For students who applied Early Action and/or Regular Admission, give your high school counselor copies of the Midyear Report forms. Provide a stamped, addressed envelope for each Midyear Report.
- Complete and mail any last minute regular applications.
- Fill out and send FAFSA and PROFILE financial aids forms.
- Complete individual college financial aid forms.
Follow-up With Colleges
- Call each college on your list to see if they have received all of the required application materials. If the answer is yes, say thank you. If the answer is no, find out what is missing and immediately act to get the missing material to the college.
- For colleges that provide application information on-line, check the respective websites to make sure they have received all of your materials. Follow-through appropriately.
- Update colleges with any new information, including recent awards, athletic achievements, volunteer efforts, etc. This is particularly important for students deferred for Early Decision, or Early Action Single Choice applications.
FEBRUARY
- For students applying for financial aid, make sure that you meet each college’s requirements and deadlines.
Follow-up With Colleges
- Send an updated copy of your school transcript that includes first semester grades to each college to which you have applied.
- If you have not done it before, update colleges with any new information, including recent awards, athletic achievements, volunteer efforts, etc.
- Many colleges pay close attention to second semester grades. Don’t slack off: keep them as high as you can. Colleges do rescind acceptances if student grades drop precipitously.
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Make sure that your high school counselor has mailed in the Midyear Reports and first semester grade transcript to all of your schools, including those at which you were accepted Early Action.
Parents
- Parents need to complete their income taxes as soon as possible so the information is available for the FAFSA form.
MARCH
- As acceptances start coming in, talk with you parents about last minute college visits to schools that really interest you.
APRIL
- Attend admitted student programs at colleges to which you have been accepted. Also, attend local alumni receptions.
- Narrow-down the list of schools in which you are interested. Review and discuss with your parents the financial aid packages offered by the schools. Negotiate aid with colleges if some offer more than others.
- If you have trouble deciding which college you want to attend, consult with your college counselor, teachers or other people you respect. Also consult Guide 15.
- If you are on a wait list for a college you really want, discuss with the school counselor what you can do to get off the list. Also consult Guide 15.
MAY
Your College Choice
- By May 1, send in your admissions deposit and notify one college that you have decided to accept their letter of admittance.
- Inform all other colleges that you will not be accepting their admissions offer.
- Fill-out housing preference forms for your chosen college.
- Let your college counselor, teachers and other recommenders know about your college decision. Thank them for their help.
- Take your final AP tests.
JUNE
- Make sure a final transcript is sent to the college of your choice.
- Note on your calendar when room and board and tuition is due for your college.
- RELAX! HAVE FUN! CELEBRATE!