Junior

Planning for College

• Fall-August through December
  
  • Take the PSAT in October to practice taking entrance exams            and to establish eligibility for some scholarships.
  • Attend sessions with college representatives who visit your high school. You may find it helpful to visit local college fairs.
  • Develop a list of possible post-secondary schools. Your Counseling office and/or school library may have books and materials to help you. Send off for admissions literature and applications from the schools that are on the top of your list. Talk with an admissions representative to determine if there are any institutional scholarships for which you could apply.
  • Begin researching private sources of financial aid such as scholarships and write for applications. Request financial aid bulletins from all potential schools. Estimate the costs for each school and begin identifying ways to meet them.
  
  
• Spring - January through May
   
  • Take the SAT/ACT. Check with your intended college(s) about which test they prefer.
  • Begin narrowing your choices for post-secondary schools.
  • Now is the time to check with your counselor, libraries, community organizations, and Student Outreach Services for the names and addresses of possible scholarship sources. Send for applications as soon as possible. Keep records of anyone you speak with concerning grants or scholarships.
  • Update your portfolio, audition tapes, writing samples, or other evidence of talents required for college admission and/or for scholarships.
  • If you plan to play sports in college, write to college coaches at your target schools. Include a schedule of your athletic events for the upcoming year. Register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Develop a resume of your sports accomplishments including a highlight tape and relevant articles about your successes.
  
  
• Summer
  
  • Practice writing online applications, filling out rough drafts, without submitting them.
  • Schedule campus visits. Consider and overnight trip that would allow for you to get a feel for what life is like on that particular campus.
  • Review applications, especially the essays. Ask others to proof the essay for any grammar, content or punctuation errors.
  • Read all college mail and send reply cards back to schools of interest.
  • Apply for those scholarships whose deadlines are in the fall. You may be too busy once school starts.

   

Come by the counseling office if you have any questions.