• Stay focused on your schoolwork and take the most difficult classes you can handle. .
• Take career interest assessments and determine the education needed for careers that interest you.
• Participate in extracurricular activities.
• Volunteer in the community.

September – November

• Attend Senior Information Night
  • Visit the Colleges you are interested in (Students will be granted only excused abscenses for four school days total between the junior and senior year) No college visits can be taken the last week of school.
    • Once you identified your priorities, you can narrow your list of possible colleges. When you've got it down to six or seven, the serious shopping begins. Start with a college visit.
    • Visiting the campus is the best way to learn about a school. It gives you the opportunity to see the professors and students in action, use and explore the facilities, and get a feel for what college life would be like at that school. While campus visits aren't necessary, they are highly recommended, and most colleges have organized visit programs.
    • Don't be afraid to wander around on your own to get a feel for the school and the people. Also, check if the school has an extended campus visit program where prospective students stay overnight in the dormitory.
  • While you visit a campus, you should:
    • Pay attention to equipment and school facilities.
    • Sit in on a class or two.
    • Talk with current students in the program.
    • Talk with instructors in the program.
    • Talk with an admissions counselor.
    • Talk with a financial aid counselor.

• Arrange campus visits to those schools that interest you. It's okay to go more than once.

• Take or retake the ACT and/or SAT in the fall.

• Meet with your school counselor to review your high school class plan.
• Select the schools to which you will apply. Make a list of deadlines for each school.
• Create a resume of your academic, athletic and work activities as well as other achievements. Prepare a portfolio if you're interested in the arts.
• Ask for recommendations (if required) from teachers, counselors and others who can comment on your abilities and talents.
• Check if there is still time to sign up for spring classes that will earn college credit through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Postsecondary Enrollment Options or College in the Schools.

December – February

• Attend FAFSA Information Night
• Apply to four or more colleges that interest you. Some may have earlier or later deadlines. (Make copies of each application.)
• Apply for scholarships offered by the colleges to which you have applied.
• Apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after January 1. You and your parents will need the previous year's income tax information to complete the it.
• Review you Student Aid Report (SAR) for accuracy.

March - May

• Have your final high school transcript sent to the colleges to which you've applied.
• Choose a college and notify in writing those you don't plan to attend.
• Send in any required forms or deposits.
• Attend College Goal FAFSA Completion if interested! Contact Ms. Dummer for more information!

Summer

• Get a job to earn money for college.
• Review orientation materials from the college you selected.
• If living on campus, check with the college for a list of what's provided by the school and what the school expects the student to provide.
• Contact your roommate.