Timeline

Fall of Junior Year (September - December):

• If you haven’t already taken it, determine when you will take the ACT or SAT. (See more below.)

• Meet with visiting colleges who come to your school.

• In October, take the PSAT/NMSQT. This time, it counts toward National Merit Scholarship.

• Complete this survey, which will be helpful as I apply to scholarships on your behalf, some of which accept applications only during Junior year.

• Play the College Sort Game with Ms. Liz if you haven’t already.

Winter of Junior Year (January-February):

• Student meets with Ms. Liz for your Junior Planning Session

  • Review transcript/graduation requirements

  • Discuss standardized testing results

  • Share college preferences

• Identify two teachers you would like to ask for a letter of recommendation. Their letters are due before the end of the academic year, so plan early in the new calendar year.

• Complete this teacher letter of recommendation form, which will be helpful in requesting a letter of recommendation. Teachers will complete this beforethey leave for summer break. I will review with you how to approach the teachers, and this will be very handy in your approach, as well as for the teacher writing the recommendation.

• Get involved in school clubs, extra-curriculars, and/or community service. 

• Build a clear link between academic interests and extracurricular pursuits.

• If leadership positions do not come organically, create your own. Think outside the box.

• Use your SCOIR account (see Page 19 for more information): 

  • Update your profile. Complete the personal details, personal bio, activities & achievements section. 

• Research colleges on SCOIR and follow the colleges you are interested in. 

• Plan Spring Visits to colleges on weekends, attend local college fairs. Use Virtual Tours for schools you can’t travel to, or in preparation for the ones you’re visiting, via CollegeVine,  YouVisit, or YouTube.

• Register for the Winter ACTs or SATs. If you haven’t already taken your entrance exams or if you want to retake your summer exam. Register for the Fall seating. To prepare  you can access free, personalized practice tools at www.collegeboard.org,  KhanAcademy.org or Academy.Act.Org. 

• Stay Organized. Begin using your “college folder” and collect college brochures, view books, or program information and “share” it with me. Write important dates in your planner. 

• Register to take the ACTs or SATs in late Spring (if you want to retake it). If you need help deciding which test to take, please set up an appointment to meet with me. To prepare for these tests, you can access free, personalized practice tools at KhanAcademy.org  or Academy.Act.Org.

• Begin to develop Your List of Colleges. Find an array of  Likely, Possible, and Unlikely/Highly Rejective schools where you’ll be happy and get a great education. 

• Complete and Submit the Student and Parent Brag Sheets to your Counselor by January 1st.

• Keep up the hard work! Continue to update your SCOIR profile and maintain excellent grades.

• Take the SATs or ACTs. The test is typically offered in March, May, and June. If you are not happy with your scores, you might want to test again in the summer and/or fall. Many students take the test a second time as seniors. I plan to take the test in: ______________

• Consider financial aid sources including scholarship opportunities, for instance, College Board’s Getting Financial Aid. Please note that there are two different types of aid:

  • Get an estimate on how much you might be expected to contribute based on your family’s income and assets. 

    • Each college is  required to have a “Net Price Calculator” on their website, and so do SCOIR, College Board, Scholarship Search. 

  • Need-based Aid: based on the financial need of the family. Can be federal-, state-, or college-based

  • Merit-based Scholarships: based on academic, sports, or other merit. Can be college-based or from independent organizations. Don’t overlook local and Virginia sources, which include scholarships to help offset the costs of private colleges in the Commonwealth

• Make a Summer Plan. Look for great summer opportunities–internships, volunteer work, jobs, classes, or special projects. Take note of when applications for summer programs are due. Some may be earlier than you expect. Create a plan for your summer that leaves room for you to explore areas of interest and that will strengthen your applications.

  • Explore Your Passions. Colleges don’t just want to see that you are academically inclined. They want to see you have hobbies and interests outside of the classroom, especially at the top-tier colleges. 

    • Dive into an extracurricular project or get involved with research. 

    • Follow through on extracurricular involvement as disclosed in application materials.

• Ask Your Teachers for a Letter of Recommendation. After Ms. Liz gives you the “go-ahead,” set up a meeting with your teacher to ask if they would write you a positive letter of recommendation. 

• Stay Open to Various Possibilities. Select colleges admit a portion of students who apply. Some colleges are highly selective while others are less selective. To find the best college for you, you should apply to colleges of varying selectivity. 

• Meet with Ms. Liz and Ms. Juliana to create a Summer College Essay Plan. Most college applications won’t be released until around August, but you can still start preparing your college essay with some generic prompts or the prior year’s prompts. Depending on the number of schools you apply to, you may have more than a dozen to two dozen essays (of varying lengths) that you may need to complete. Make a plan for what you will work on over the summer so you can space out the work. Your goal is to have your essays completed by the time you return to school in the fall. The best prompt I can give you that will lead to all essay answers in one way or another is, “tell me a story about a time when you…”

• Finalize Your College List and Visit Colleges of Interest. 

  • Start out with virtual tours before spending the time, energy, and money to visit in person.

  • For in-person visits, try to limit it to 2 per day. While you’re there:

    • Take campus tours

    • Talk to as many people as possible: college admissions staff, professors, students, career counseling.

  • “Demonstrate interest” by visiting, clicking on links within their marketing emails, & following them on social media. Interviews and visits with admission counselors also count a lot at some colleges.

• Review On-Line College Application Forms. Some colleges use the Common App, some use the Coalition App, and some colleges have their own application. This information is listed on SCOIR and the school’s website. Complete as much of the application as possible.

• Work on College Essays. The Common App and Coalition App usually announce their essay prompts in late winter. Start drafting your college essay and have an adult read it and give you feedback. Remember a stellar application essay is one of the ways you can make your application stand out, so give yourself ample time to produce the best essay you can. 

• Study for Last Chance Standardized Test Date. If you have not earned a SAT/ACT score that you are comfortable with yet, this summer of the first semester of your senior year will be your last opportunity to retake the test for a higher score before your college applications are due. Consider a practice test, review book, or online tools to help you study. You should not take it more than three times.

Prepare Mentally for Senior Year. You have worked so hard, do not forget to relax, recharge, and breathe. You want to show up to senior year ready to learn and grow and the best way to do that is to practice self-care throughout the summer.