Senior Year timelineEarly Fall- This is the time that the college process begins to gets very busy. One of the first things you want to do is check and see if the teachers you asked in the Spring have filled out your blue sheets or wrote Letters of Recommendation. While you are starting with all your new classes you will also probably be starting extracurricular activities, try to take leadership roles in these groups as this status will look good on college applications. The most used application is the commonap, at this time it would probably be a good idea to start filling out this application online with the necessary information. To make this application look awesome, as well as any other application, you need to write a stellar college essay. To do this you should probably begin around this time, and once you have a rough draft check with parents and teachers to revise the essay to perfection, there is a complete section on the website that describes this in detail. A final thing you can do to improve your application is to take the SAT. Even if you already have a great score it might be a good idea to try again Away from school you will probably be checking on your list of colleges. The Fall is a great time to take further college visits and refine your list further. Colleges often offer special visiting weekends which are great opportunities for you to show further interest in a certain institution. If you already know some of your top choices see if there are any requirements you have not already finished, such as SAT 2's, or if there is a special essay required that you can start working on. However, most importantly enjoy your senior year.
Late Fall- This is the point in which some of the first college deadlines may occur. If you are certain on your first choice school applying early decision might be a good idea because it generally improves your odds of getting in. There is also early action if you simply want to hear back sooner rather than later. In either case guidance needs your cover sheet along with two dollars two weeks before the actual deadline. If this is the first time using the commonap you will also need to bring in the school forms. Continue being interested in schools and thinking about a future major and make sure you are filling out the applications perfect. Even a typo or a missed question could set your application back. This also might be a good time to start researching scholarships or other financial aid, tuition is expensive and some scholarships have very early deadlines. If all of this does not keep you busy enough make sure you are studying as colleges often look at mid year and full year reports to make sure grades have not slipped. Early Winter - In the months of December and January most of the college application deadlines will come and past. If you have everything prepared just go to Guidance at least two weeks before and supply them with a cover sheet. Check to make sure each college you apply to have everything they need, most of the time the college offers an online checklist. If you are ever unsure simply call the admissions office, it is better to be safe than sorry. After the first semester ends make sure to send a mid-grade report for the necessary schools through guidance. However all of this might not be applicable if you have already been accepted Early Decision. If this is true report to guidance and follow the instructions carefully to hold your spot. Either way the only other thing you may want to do is fill out a FAFSA report. This will start the financial aid process which will be vital for paying tuition and other fees. And once again enjoy your senior year. Late Winter - This time will probably be the lull in the storm of college applications. If some schools still have not received all of your paperwork check with both the guidance and admissions office to try and fix this situation as fast as possible. Also if you have already received your FAFSA form back check it over for errors, they could cost you a lot of money. Other than this just keep studying hard, especially if it is for an AP credit, some colleges may revoke your acceptance with grades that take a nose dive. Early Spring - This will be a very exciting time as many college acceptances, and hopefully very few rejections will be coming out. If you instantly know which college you want to attend that's great but if not there are a few things to consider. First is scholarship offers which can greatly reduce the financial burden of attending the institution secondly is the atmosphere itself. If you have not visited the college it would be a great idea to do this during an accepted student's day to see if you like your fellow classmates and the general atmosphere. Either way try to figure out which lucky college you will attend. After this monumental step report to guidance with your decision and the college itself with the necessary paperwork and a check. It is also nice if you quickly inform the other schools that accepted you that you will not be attending. At this point give yourself a pat on the back, you're in college. Late Spring - With college business out of the way it is time to just tie up some loose ends. First off is scholarships, check online and with the guidance list with possible scholarship offers, and/or talk to your parents about other student loans or other means of payment. Next are AP exams, study hard for these scores can possibly give you several credits and hundreds of dollars. Finally have your final transcript and proof of graduation sent to your college. Beyond this enjoy graduation, you made it through the journey of high school, congratulations! Timeline notes for athletesWhile the timeline already stated will basically stay the same there are some considerations that you might need to think about in addition to your normal college decision. The first thing to note is that there are many NCAA rules about contacting athletes, your prospective coach will know all of these so do not worry about breaking any rules. With this recognized your first athletic contact will most likely come in Junior year with letters or perhaps email. While most of these will be from colleges you do not have any intention of attending there is a chance of a letter coming from a college on your list. In this case respond quickly and try to open a correspondence with the coach. Even if you do not get a letter from the colleges on your list, and if you do, a college visit is something you will probably do. In this case email, or call, the coach and try to find a time for meeting. If you have this meeting listen closely and ask questions about the team and possible scholarships. After this continue to keep in contact with the coach and follow through with any requests he might have. In the middle of senior year you might have a smaller list and if applicable go on a recruiting visit. This visit would match you with a current athlete and would give you some great insight into attending the university. After this you will most likely have to make the final decision. Inform the coach if you will be attending so you can stay in touch and politely inform the other coaches so they will not have to contact you further While this description is general, hopefully the link below will help further. One last thing to remember is that while athletics is important to consider the academic strength of the institution should be considered higher.
Athletic Timeline Other helpful links |
Terms to knowEarly Action
What is early action? Students who apply early, in November, will get their notification back usually in December. Many EA students who know where they want to go or already have the best grades apply early action. The benefits include not having to wait long for a decision, have many months to decide on a college, and it is non-binding: if you get it, you don’t HAVE to go there. Some pitfalls: you may want to wait to bring up ACT/SAT scores in the winter or bring up your GPA; in this case, wait until regular decision!! Don’t rush your application! For EA, you can get deferred: which means the admissions will put your app into the regular decision pool and get back to you with your decision in March/April. This means you are good, but they haven’t chosen you yet, or you can be accepted, or rejected. There is no trying to re-apply for regular decision after rejection. Deadlines: November 1, 15, 30 December 1, 15 Generally hear back: December 1, 15, 30. January 1, 15, 31. Early Decision Similar to EA, early decision students find out their decision (you guessed it) early, in December or early January. But the catch is that you must go there if you are accepted- so make sure you like the school before applying ED. Many students choose to only apply early or regular action if they don’t know what school they absolutely love. For ED, if you are accepted, you must withdraw all other college applications and you can only apply to that one school early. The dates for ED are generally the same as EA dates. Rolling Admissions This option is probably the best for those who can’t wait long for a decision, if the school offers it; and many don’t. Rolling means the school has no set deadline for an application to be sent in, and once the app is received, the school will get back to you in a few weeks. But don’t put off completing your app: often the earlier you apply, the better your housing, and better your chance of being accepted. Regular Decision This is early action pushed back a few months, where you have time to work on your app essays, grades, and retake standardized tests, and it is also non-binding. You generally will get your decision back 2-3 months after submitting. You may hear of some people finding out from colleges in April- and having to enroll only weeks after usually by May 1. This is a downside of RD: the traditionally long wait. Some competitive schools, however, recommend RD for the “second” most awesome students: people say it’s easier to be accepted early (which isn’t true- the ratio of students applying makes it seem like more) so that these students can work a bit harder on their apps. Deadlines: December 1, 15, 31 January 1, 15, 31 February-even early March Hear back anywhere from February-early April Some commonap deadlinesJunior year timelineJunior Year:
Fall- While it is great to start taking interest earlier in high school Junior year is generally the year in which the deadlines for some college events happen. The first thing that will happen in the Fall are the PSATs which are a great practice for the upcoming SATs and if you do really well you can enter for a National Merit Scholarship. Moving beyond the PSATs fall provides a great time to begin studying for the real SATs. Whether you want to take a course, buy a book, or go online studying for the SATs or the ACTs could pay off big time in the future. Other than test taking it is important to perform well academically in your classes Junior year, as these grades are probably viewed most closely. Winter- When you are thick of Junior year it will probably be tough to focus on college. Luckily there are not too many things to do concerning college during this time. One thing you can begin to do is to begin to register for SAT or ACT tests, as well as continuing to study for these important tests. Around this time you will also probably have course selection for Senior year. Think carefully about taking challenging courses that will impress colleges, but courses that are not too tough so you won't have deficient grades. It will also be important to pick classes that will match your hopeful major; for instance if you want to major in engineering take extra science classes but if you are majoring in art take extra art classes. This might also be a good time to begin brainstorming a list of colleges. Spring- This is the time that the college search really begins. If you have not already made a list of prospective colleges then you probably should. Use internet resources, as well as books, and alma mater to narrow down what you think would be the best fit for you. Once you have a potential list April Break, as well as any other long weekend, gives a great chance for a college visit. An in person visit gives you more information that any other written description; it also shows your interest in a college, which looks good for later applications. Around this time you will also probably take the SAT or ACT. If you take plenty of practice tests, study hard, and show up well rested and with a full stomach you should do fine. Another important test you may be taking is an AP test. As long as you paid attention in class and study beforehand the college credit should be within grasp. The final thing that you need to do is begin asking for letters of recommendation and blue sheets. There is another section of the website that explains this more fully bust just know to be polite in asking and try and pick teachers who know you well. Summer- First and foremost enjoy summer but if you feel the need to invest more time in the college search it would be a fine idea to go on a college visit and refine your list further. There are also some great summer education options that look good on a resume, and a summer job always helps to pay tuition in the future |