Use this Senior timeline as a great checklist to navigate the college admission process. Students in grades 9-11 will find this timeline helpful. 

Johns Hopkins University has a great blog that explains and defines many of the terms used in the college admission process. 

SchooLinks  is a comprehensive career & college platform that students can access in Classlink. This is a great tool for students to research and develop their post high school plans. Students can take a variety of assessments that help them learn more about themselves and idenitfy careers that may be a good fit for their personality. They can choose favorite activities to identify some related careers,  and discover motivations for life after high school. 

Students can search for colleges, favorite colleges, and learn about clubs, majors, etc. on each campus. Seniors will use SchooLinks for their college application process --transcripts, recommendations, etc. 

While students can search for colleges in SchooLinks and see their profiles of majors, activities, etc., CollegeBoard's Big Future hosts a great college search tool. Students can use filters to find colleges based on region, major, size, etc.

ECMC is a nonprofit corporation providing services in support of higher education finance, we assist students and families in their efforts to plan and pay for college. Each year, they release a FREE guide for Virginia families that helps with college admission and planning, as well as helps to navigate the financial aid process. Paper copies can be found in the high school counseling office. A digital copy can be accessed here. 

It's not uncommon to wonder what career a college major might lead to. Bachelor degrees in the U.S. not designed to prepare students for one specific career, but rather a lifetime of skills that are transferrable across multiple careers. Williams College has created a great tool that tracks what careers students pursued and what their majors were. For example, if you major in English, what careers might your degree translate into? Have fun exploring!

A two-year college allows students to earn a certificate in a specific field, or an Associate's degree. In Virginia, students are offered the opportunity to transfer to a VA public four-year college through  Transfer Agreements. Richard Bland College, for example, is considered a junior college and is specifically designed for students to transfer to a 4-year college. Students can research on TransferVirginia.org what will transfer to a four-year college.

A four-year college allows students to earn a Bachelor degree that typically includes both a breadth of curriculum (often called general education) and a depth of curriculum of their choice (called a major).

Students have access to some great learning units in SchooLinks to better understand their 2 and 4 year college options.

Visiting a college campus can be an insightful experience. There is nothing comparable to setting foot on a college campus and that initial gut reaction. When possible, we highly recommend signing up for an official college tour. However, it's important to prepare. Learn more about how to best prepare for your visit. Be sure to engage and do more than just drive through.

Can't visit a campus in person? Consider a virtual tour!

There are many resources for students to write college application essays. A student's school and career counselor can help students reflect a bit more about what would be helpful to share with a college. Some English classes also include work on the personal statement. The College Essay Guy Ethan Sawyer, provides many free resources for students. Watch Randolph-Macon College and Christopher Newport University provide great tips and information to Hanover students about the college essay. SchooLinks has also published a helpful article on how to get started with college essay topics. More helpful resources are listed below. Want to see what successful college essays look like? Check out Johns Hopkins University's blog with "Essays That Worked".

Personal Statement (Common App essay)

Supplemental Essays (Scroll halfway down for resources)

Activities List 

Four-year colleges and universities may require a standardized test for admission or to be considered for merit scholarships. The SAT (aptitude/reasoning) and ACT (achievement) measure content that students learn in high school. Specifically, they assess reading, writing, and math. The ACT also measures science (Spring 2025 ACT changes). HCPS students in 9th and 11th grade take the PSAT each fall, free of charge. It is a preliminary SAT that serves as a practice for students. HCPS students can access their scores online through their CollegeBoard account. The SAT and ACT are designed and recommended for second semester juniors and frist semester seniors. We recommend students take their first test in the spring of 11th grade. The College Essay Guy provides information to better understand the similarities and differences between the SAT and ACT. SAT and ACT have published a concordance table to better see the relationship between scores. It is the student's responsibility to research a college's policy and submit their own scores.

Test Optional/ Test Blind - Check each college website for more specific details on their requirements prior to applying as some colleges still require them (ex: military academies, public colleges in Georgia and Tennessee, as well as highly selective colleges, etc.). Over 1800 colleges and universities (40+ in Virginia!!) have become test-optional or test-blind/test-free for admission purposes.

*If the cost of the SAT/ACT tests would cause a financial hardship for a family, please see your school counselor for more information about fee waivers.

**Virginia code requires ACT and SAT scores be reported on the high school transcript. Families can choose to opt-out and have them removed by completing a form in the School Counseling office.  Aim to have this done by early September of grade 12.

Prospective student-athletes must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center in order for eligibility to be determined. Students who are considering playing at the NCAA level can follow this helpful timeline provided by the NCAA.

If there is a possibility that a student may participate in a Division I or Division II sport at an institution, they must register online with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Students will also need to send their high school transcript and can do so through SchooLinks by going to School - Record Requests - Send Official Transcripts and select NCAA.

Each student must also send a transcript to the Eligibility Center through SchooLinks under School - Record Requests - Send Official Transcript. If official test scores appear on the transcript, they need not be sent separately. If they do not, the student must request additional score reports to be sent to the Eligibility Center. To do so, simply designate the NCAA Eligibility Center as a score recipient on the test registration form by filling in code 9999 in the section on college and scholarship codes. 

Through HCPS Advance College Academy and other dual enrollment options, many students will graduate high school with college credit through Reynolds. Students can check to see what Virginia colleges accept Reynolds Dual Enrollment courses by visiting Transfer Virginia. 

A community college serves a wide array of further learning needs. Students can learn about a trade, seek prerequisite courses before applying to Bon Secours College of Nursing, or earn an Associate's degree in order to transfer to a 4 year college. Locally, Reynolds and Bright Point are a great options but there are many other community colleges in Virginia as well. If students want to qualify for Reynolds or Bright Point scholarships, they should plan to apply and then complete the separent scholarship application by mid Feburary. After students apply, they should go through the SOAR (orientation and registration) process.