Preparation Timelines
There are many checklists available to help you navigate your road to college. It is important that you check your school's Counseling Department's website for checklists that will include school specific requirements for each grade level. The Checklists below can be found on the U.S. Department of Education's website.
Be mindful of course selection. Most colleges require four years of English, at least three years of social studies (history, civics, geography, economics, etc.), three years of mathematics, and three years of science, and many require two or more years of a foreign language. Round out your course load with classes in computer science and the arts.
Explore extracurricular activities. Get involved in school- or community-based activities that interest you or let you explore career interests. Consider working, volunteering, and/or participating in academic enrichment programs, summer workshops, and camps with specialty focuses such as music, arts, or science. Remember—it’s quality (not quantity) that counts. Be sure to track these activities in your Career Cruising Portfolio.
Explore Careers in Xello. Complete the Matchmaker and Skills Assessment Assignments in Xello. You can also use the U.S. Department of Labor’s career search tool to research your career options.
List your awards, honors, paid and volunteer work, and extracurricular activities in Xello. Update it throughout high school.
Meet with your school counselor or mentor to discuss colleges and their requirements.
Take practice college entrance exams: PSAT /NMSQT Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test or check out the ACT Aspire exam "sandbox."Be mindful of course selection.
Attend PNACAC Fall College Fair in October.
Attend PNACAC Spring College Fair in April. Plan to use your summer wisely: Work, volunteer, or take a summer course (away or at a local college).
Continue to explore Careers in Xello. Review and update your Matchmaker and Skills Assessment results. Save additional careers.
Go to career information events to get a more detailed look at career options.
Research majors in Xello related to your Careers of Interest.
All Year
Continue to explore careers and their earning potential in Xello and with the Occupational Outlook Handbook search tool.
Attend College Fairs and College Visits at the high school and the community. Be sure to check the College Visit calendar at your school.
Fall
Take the PSAT/NMSQT. You must take the test in 11th grade to qualify for scholarships and programs associated with the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Research Colleges. Use Xello and save at least 2 to your portfolio (a HSBP requirement). There are many tools available to research colleges.
Attend PNACAC Fall College Fair in October.
Spring
Register for and take exams for college admission. The standardized tests that many colleges require are the SAT, the SAT Subject Tests, and the ACT. Check with the colleges you are interested in to see what tests they require.
Use a free scholarship search to find scholarships for which you might want to apply. Some deadlines fall as early as the summer between 11th and 12th grades, so prepare now to submit applications soon.
Attend PNACAC Spring College Fair in April.
REMEMBER: Register for all tests in advance and be sure to give yourself time to prepare appropriately! If you have difficulty paying a registration fee, see your school counselor about getting the fee waived.
All Year
Work hard all the way to graduation—second-semester grades can affect scholarship eligibility.
Stay involved in after-school activities, and seek leadership roles if possible.
FALL
As soon as possible after its Oct. 1 release, complete and submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), at fafsa.gov, along with any other financial aid applications your chosen school(s) may require. You should submit your FAFSA® by the earliest financial aid deadline of the schools to which you are applying, usually by early February.
Complete your Senior High School and Beyond Plan assignments (Resume and Essay) by the Deadline and sign up for your Senior Exit Interview. Information about your requirements will be posted on your College and Career Center website.
If you haven’t done so already, register for and take the standardized tests required for college admission. Check with the colleges you are interested in to see what tests they require.
Apply to the colleges you have chosen. Prepare your applications carefully. Follow the instructions, and PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO DEADLINES!
Well before your college application deadlines, ask your counselor and teachers to submit the required documents (e.g., transcript, letters of recommendation) to the colleges to which you’re applying.
Well before your college application deadlines, formally request Letters of Recommendation from teachers and counselors (if you haven’t done so already)
Complete any last scholarship applications.
SPRING
Visit colleges that have invited you to enroll.
Review your college acceptances and compare the colleges’ financial aid offers.
Contact a school’s financial aid office if you have questions about the aid that school has offered you. In fact, getting to know your financial aid staff early is a good idea no matter what—they can tell you about deadlines, other aid for which you might wish to apply, and important paperwork you might need to submit.
When you decide which school you want to attend, notify that school of your commitment and submit any required financial deposit. Many schools require this notification and deposit by May 1.
Complete TWO Senior Exit Surveys. This is a requirement to graduate. Surveys will not be available until late April.
REMEMBER: Register for all tests in advance and be sure to give yourself time to prepare appropriately! If you have difficulty paying a registration fee, ask your school counselor about getting the fee waived.
