Senior Checklist

SUBJECT: Your college prep timeline/checklist

Dear Senior,

As you may know, senior fall is when you finalize your college list and begin applying to college!

Over the next few months, I encourage you to do six main things, ahead of your actual college applications:

Get your letters of recommendation ready: If you haven’t yet asked for a letter of recommendation from your teacher(s), make sure you do so! Here’s some advice on how to choose your recommenders and what information to provide them.
(Re)take the SAT/ACT, if needed: If you haven’t taken the SAT/ACT yet, do so. If you’re unhappy with your previous scores, retake it.
Finalize your college list: Remember to include a combination of safety, target, and reach schools in your list. Also identify your top choice, and decide whether you’d like to apply early decision/action for it. Here’s some advice on all of that.
Fill out your FAFSA form: The FAFSA form is the federal government financial aid form. To receive need-based grants or scholarships (from the government or your college!), you’ll need to fill it out. The application opens on October 1, and lots of aid is first-come, first-served, so apply early.
Prepare your essays: Many colleges will ask for one main essay; some more prestigious colleges will also have additional essays or short-answer questions. Here’s some information on how to write your main college essay / personal statement.
Apply for scholarships: Most scholarships are geared towards high school seniors, and the ones with earlier deadlines (Sept-Dec) tend to receive fewer applicants, which means you have a higher chance of winning! To find and apply for scholarships, I recommend you sign up for Going Merry.

I know that may seem like a lot to keep track of though, so you might also find this College Prep Checklist to be quite helpful. Print it out, and check things off as you complete them! You can even double-check you’ve done everything you need to from the Junior Year section.

The Guidance Office