College Planning Timetable

Freshman and Sophomore Year

I find that a one hour meeting with Freshman and Sophomores once or twice per year can be a powerful tool in planning for college.  In addition to discussing all of the following topics with the student and their family, it conveys the message that college is important and it helps the student keep their focus.  I do these visits on an hourly fee basis.

• Enroll in challenging classes and make the best possible grades that you can in those classes.  Grades that you earn in high school will be the largest determining factor on your college choice in future years.  Your semester grades are part of your permanent transcript that will go to colleges when you apply.  The #1 item that colleges look when reviewing applications for college is the quality of your classes and the grades that you made in those classes.
• Become an active participant in your classes so your teachers can get to know you. You might ask these teachers to write letters of recommendation in future years.  Let your teachers know when you are having trouble understanding a concept. 
• Work on developing good study habits and organizational skills.  These are essential to success in high school and college.
• Choose extracurricular activities with the idea of participating for four years.  Colleges like long-term commitments.  Try for 2 to 3 activities with three to four years of commitment to those activities.
• A student needs to commit at least 1 hour per night to homework (of course this varies from school to school).  High Achieving Students will spend extra time studying beyond this core hour. 
•   Get to know your best learning style and develop this to its full potential.

During the Summer

• Look at a summer learning experience.  A one-month or two-week summer program can offer you the opportunity to pursue a subject that you might not have had time for in school.  Summer employment or a volunteer summer experience can substitute for a summer program and is extremely valuable.
• Start a personal resume to keep track of activities and awards with the intention of adding to this list each year.  This will make the task of making a college application resume easier when you become a junior.
• Read, read, and read some more.  There is no substitute for improving yourself academically, and this is by far the best preparation for the verbal section of the SAT and the reading/written language sections of the ACT test.  I find that High Achieving Student are always reading a wide variety of books.
• It is not too early to visit college campuses.  Every school district has numerous staff development days.  Utilize these days to visit to Colorado College or UCCS in Colorado Springs.  CSU, CU-Boulder, CU-Denver, Adams State College, Western State College, and CSU-Pueblo are drivable as a day trip.  A good visit includes an informational session, lunch on campus, and school sponsored college tour.  Call a week in advance to schedule your visit.

Sophomore Specific Tasks

• Take the PLAN (a pre- ACT test).  The date for this test will be determined by your counseling deapartment. This test will be your first experience with a college admssions test and is excellent preparation for the ACT.  You will receive your test booklet and an answer sheet when the results are returned to your school.  Take time to look at the mistakes that you made and correct these.  Do patterns emerge?  What can you do to not repeat these errors? 
• Take the PSAT (pre-SAT test).  There are two national test dates in October and your school will determine which date to administer the test.  You results are returned to your school in mid-December.  F 

  If you are considering a Military Academy, let your school counselor know.  The ACT and SAT should be moved up to the end of sophomore year.

Junior Year

This is a good time to start working with a professional college planning consultant.  I find that good pre-planning allows the family and student to attack the College Selection/College Application process in a timely manner to insure that no opportunity is missed.  My package programs cost the same whether the process is begun in the first semester of the junior year or in November of the senior year. 

• Continue to take challenging classes and make the best possible grades that you can in those classes.  Try to add another Honor course to your schedule.
• Keep reading challenging texts in your spare time.  Read a variety of materials.
• Attend college fairs in the area. 
• Attend college representive meeting when they come to your school.  these visits are usually posted in the counseling department.
• Testing is an important in junior year.  You will want to take the PSAT test in October, the SAT Reasoning test in January, the ACT with Writing in February, and if your long list includes colleges that require SAT Subject Tests, plan to take two or three tests on the June test. 
• This is also the hardest year academically for students.  Colleges know this and will look at your grades during this demanding year with a critical eye.
• This is a year where you will want to impress your teachers (some of whom you might ask to write a letter of recommendation for you). 
• Excel in all your classes and continue to pursue interests outside of classes.
• When registering for senior classes, make sure that your courses include a minimum of 4 academics in order to keep your college options open.  Colleges do not like students to "coast" in their senior year with non-challanging classes.
• Determine the Factors that you will base your college search on.  
• With a 5 semester high school transcript (including your current GPA and rank in class) and the results from you SAT Reasoning and ACT tests, you should be able to compose a profile of youself as a student.  This profile will be used to compare yourself to the entering class statistic of colleges that you have interest.
• Compose a “Long List” of colleges based on the factors that you have determined are important to you.  You might use the Internet, your school’s computer-aided guidance system, books, family members, friends, etc. to compose your list.  This is a list of colleges that might work for you.
• Your next task is to narrow your “Long List” of colleges to an “Apply List” by the start of senior year.  How do you do this?  You read narrative books about colleges, use reputable websites, and explore college published materials.
• If there are any colleges on your “Long List” that require the SAT Subject Test, make a plan to take those tests in the Spring (I suggest the June date).  These test are studiable and I would suggest that you secure a study guide for each test.

Note- all my clients who start with me in January will have a testing schedule established in January, a college apply list established by March and a resume by May.  I find that having these tasks completed in this order ensures that no deadline or opportunity is missed.

During the Summer

The summer between junior and senior year is the largest block of time that the student will have prior to graduation and I try to maximize this time with my clients.  I like to establish an Apply List of colleges, make an application plan, start a college resume, and complete at least one college essay.  This will reduce stress and family conflict in the months to come.

• Visit colleges in June and July.  Include college interviews (if offered) during your visit.  Also fill out a college visitation sheet so that you will get on their mailing list and receive emails from their office. 
• Narrow down your college list and request print materials from colleges by email.
• Look at on-line applications during the summer.  
• Look for common themes on the required college essays.  Start writing these essays during the summer.
• If you have kept up to date updating your resume, you should easily be able to rework this into a resume that you will send with every college application.

Note that all my clients that have started with me in January will complete the College Essay and start on their College Applications over the summer.

Senior Year

Fall (Applying to College)

It is important to establish a calander to manage your college application workload in August and stick to your plan to get all the required work done.  From my 20+ years of experience I can attest to two constants: senior year is busier that the student expects it to be and the college application process takes more time than the family plans for.  My advice: Get started early!

• Organization is the key to a low stress college application process.  Start early by composing a senior calendar.  Add important dates to this calendar- college fairs, application deadlines, admission representative visits to you school and community, financial aid deadlines, etc.  Missing deadlines can be very costly in the college application process.
• Visiting colleges on your short list while they are in session. A thorough visit includes a tour, eating a cafeteria meal, and sitting in on a class.  Depending on your need, you might have interview with both an admissions officer and/or a financial aid officer, and stay the night if possible.  Don’t forget to drive around the surrounding neighborhood.  
• Think about applying Early Decision or Early Action if you have a first choice college.  At some competitive schools, your chances of getting into the college are increased if you apply in this fashion and you will usually know around December 15 to January 15 if you have been accepted.  Read ED and EA policy at the specific school for which you apply.  There are important ethical considerations at stake here that the student and parent should understand and adhere to if this path is taken.
• Evaluate your testing record.  If you have good SAT Reasoning/ACT/SAT Subject Test scores- you do not have to retake them.  If you are not happy with your scores, retake them in October or November.
• If you did not start you essays over the summer, start working on your college essays early so that you don’t have to dash them off in a hurry.  Write several essays and several drafts to produce your best work.
• Become familiar with your high school’s policy on securing transcripts, letters of recommendation from teachers, counselor’s recommendation, and how applications are sent.  These will vary from school to school.  If deadlines are involved, write this on your senior calendar.
• At the same time, you might check with the Guidance Office to see how your school advertises scholarships.  Check these bi-weekly throughout the school year.  Apply when appropriate.
• If you plan to apply for financial aid (using the FAFSA form- required by all colleges), I would suggest that you file online.  Although you cannot apply until January 1 of the senior year, both parents and the student must have electronic signature pin code established.  You can apply for this at any time by going to www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp
• Some colleges require an additional finaincial aid form called the CSS PROFILE.  This form has a fee and  can be accessed at www.collegeboard.com  or call 1-800-778-6888. Fill this out if any college on your list requires this supplemental form.
• Determine how you will apply to colleges- online or a paper application.  Neatness, spelling, and grammar are important on these forms. I suggest online applications for all my clients.
• Timeliness is important during the college application and financial aid process.  Sending information past a deadline can often result in an instant rejection.
• Making copies of all materials sent.  College Admission Offices are notorious for losing/misplacing data. Protect yourself. 
• Make it a goal to send all your applications before Winter Break.
• January (Applying for Financial Aid):  Fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1.  Parents must fill out their tax forms to complete the FAFSA.  All financial aid (college scholarships, grants, loans and work-study) is based on results from this form.  Be sure to get your information in by the colleges stated deadline.  The FAFSA online (www.fafsa.ed.gov) gets to the college 2 weeks earlier than the paper and pencil one. 
• Continue to apply for scholarships.

April (College Decision Time)

• Acceptance, Wait-list and Rejection letters should arrive near the beginning of April.
• Financial Aid packages should arrive with acceptance letters or by the middle of April
• After seeing your college acceptances and evaluating the financial aid packages, make your college decision with your family.
• Notify and send your deposit to the college of your choice by the first of May.
• Notify other schools of your intent not to enroll.