College

College Application Checklist

Senior Timeline 

 Underclass Timeline

SchooLinks  is a comprehensive career & college platform that students can access in Classlink. Students can take a variety of assessments, research careers,  search for colleges, and discover motivations for life after high school. 

Bachelor degrees in the U.S. are 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. 

A variety of factors may go into creating a college list: location, major, size of institution, affiliation (religious, military, etc.), prestige, career opportunities, school spirit, cost, etc. Here are a few great resources to assist students in  determining what they are looking for.

• College Essay Guy 

• Steven Antonoff's College Match 

• ECMS's Worksheet: Choosing the Right College

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.

This organizer is a great guide for researching colleges. There is also a column to help students make a decision on where to attend after being admitted. Click the image above of  this helpful tool to organize your college research and applications. 

(Note: This requires a Google Account in order to access this Google Sheet.)

https://bit.ly/hcpscollegeorganizer

Go to the college's website and sign up for an official tour under the admissions section. We highly recommend signing up for an official college tour. 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!

Students interested in military service can pursue ROTC programs in college and/or explore U.S. service academies.  The U.S. service academy application process starts in 11th grade. ROTC scholarships generally open  up for students to apply to in the summer after 11th grade. Search for colleges with ROTC programs here. Learn more about Service Academics on the Enlist tab above for more information.

Community Colleges offer technical education, career certificates, or Associate's degrees. Students can to transfer to a VA public four-year college through  Transfer Agreements. Richard Bland College. Researchesearch on TransferVirginia.org what will transfer to a four-year college.

Four-year college offer Bachelor degree's that including a breadth of curriculum (often called general education) and a depth of curriculum of their choice (called a major).

SAT and ACT are designed for 2nd semester juniors. Some colleges may require for special programs or scholarships. SAT and ACT have published a concordance table to better see the relationship between scores.

*If the cost of the SAT/ACT tests would cause a financial hardship for a family, see your counselor for a fee waiver.

**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.

The SAT (aptitude/reasoning) assesses  content students learn in high school: reading, writing, and math. It is a computer based test.

Learn more about the content of the SAT here. The CollegeBoard provides resources for students to prepare for this test. 

SAT Test Dates

The ACT (achievement) measures content students learn in high school. It measures reading, writing, math and also has an optional science section (Spring 2025 ACT changes). There is a computer or paper-based test.

Learn more about the content of the ACT here.

ACT Test Dates

Over 1,100 colleges accept the Common App making it easier to apply to multiple colleges with one applicaiton. If a student is applying to more than one college, they should plan to use the Common App. Students can create an account using their personal email before senior year. However, anything in the My Colleges section will be erased at the end of July when the new application season starts. Find a Common App checklist here.

Watch short videos on the Hanover Career Counseling YouTube Channel from HCPS Summer College Bootcamps. 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 

Students considering playing in a sport in college should create a free NCAA Profile Account as early as possible. If there is a possibility that a student may participate in a Division I or Division II collegiate sport, they must register online with the NCAA Eligibility Center in order to be certified to play, the free profile account can be transferred to the Eligibility Center. NCAA Eligibility Center certification ensures students have taken and earned a certain GPA in select courses.

NCAA Membership Map

NCAA Guide for the College Student Athlete

NCAA Timeline