To Do
Contests/Programs
SAT/ACT
College Search
Scholarships
Recs
Complete the College Counselor Information survey questionnaire (check to make sure the link takes you to "Class of 2027 College Counselor Information," and if does not, then refresh the page) at your earliest convenience. The information you give me will update my record of your achievements and help Faculty Selection committees make informed decisions.
Send Ms. Hughes an email immediately if you are interesting in going for the Indiana Diploma Enrollment with Honors Plus Seal:
Weighted grades for the Financial Literacy and Computing Foundations for a Digital Age online courses.
15 hours of community service, documented together in August/September.
Automatic admission to our flagship Indiana public universities.
Signature School's gratitude.
Get your extended essay ready for the EE Viva Voce with your AP Research teacher, during 6th period, August 10-12.
Ensure that you submit a final draft of your EE to the ManageBac dropbox and that you update your EE subject and Research Question on Managebac.
Project Based Learning? This is an Indiana requirement for graduation, satisfied by completing your EE.
Consider submitting to Regeneron Science Talent Search, application due November 5. See more under Competitions by Deadline.
Attend the College Essay Guy Live Workshop series either live or on demand:
invitation in your school email
all sessions recorded and available on your dashboard
Review your Power School profile. Do you have changes to make? Resubmit the Power School profile questionnaire by August 10 for mid-August data upload.
Set up your Common App. Need help? See information under College App/Search/Outreach. Consider attending our first College App help session this Saturday, August 8, 11-12:30. Sign up here Friday, August 9, at noon: College App Help Session Registration – Fill out form
Create your FSA ID (see Scholarship and Financial Aid Information below)
Register for Parchment to send official transcripts. You must use the link in the email invitation last sent on 8/6/2026. Can't find the email? See Ms. Hughes ASAP. Here's a guide.
To ensure your scores arrive by November 1 early application deadlines, you should complete all SAT and ACT testing by the end of September.
August: August 22, 2026 (Registration Deadline: August 7)
September: September 12, 2026 (Registration Deadline: August 28)
Registration & Calendar: College Board SAT Dates
Fee Waivers: SAT Fee Waiver Eligibility. See Ms. Cirino to obtain a fee waiver.
July: July 11, 2026 (Standard Registration has passed, Late Registration Deadline: June 24)
September: September 19, 2026 (Registration Deadline: August 14)
Registration: ACT Registration
Test Prep: Free ACT Test Prep
Fee Waivers: ACT Fee Waiver Eligibility. See Ms. Cirino to obtain a fee waiver.
Get your website documentation ready.
Update your CAS page.
Update your PowerSchool profile by August 11 for the August 13 data upload. Links needed: Power School profile questionnaire, personal statement examples
Obtain your recommender's consent.
If the recommendation is for a 2025-2026 college application or scholarship:
Register your recommendation request here. Complete the form for each request. You may upload or link files to the form. (A recommendation request for the Common App is considered one request.) Print a hard copy of the form and any additional documents for your recommender's files.
Complete the Teacher Recommendation Questionnaire. You may upload or link files to the form. Print a hard copy of the questionnaire and any additional documents for your recommender's files.
Complete the Counselor Recommendation Request form for each new request or set of requests needed.
The formal scholarship push begins in August. Use the summer to familiarize yourself with major regional programs and set up profiles on national search databases:
Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship due August 14.
Eligibility: Indiana residents evaluated on academic merit, leadership, and service.
Application Location: Signature students typically apply through Vanderburgh County (school location). If your home county does not require local school attendance, you may apply through your county of residence instead. You may apply through one county only.
Vanderburgh County Requirements: Applicants must have a minimum 1200 SAT and a 3.8 unweighted GPA (calculated to three decimal places: e.g., a 3.7995 rounds up to 3.800).
Among the Requirements:
One letter of recommendation (you should have already arranged this with your recommender). The recommender may submit directly to the Foundation: ARhinefort@cfswi.org
A transcript. You must email Ms. Hughes for this, subject line Lilly transcript.
The Gates Scholarship: Highly selective award for outstanding minority, Pell-eligible student leaders. Phase 1 opens in July.
Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship: Up to $55,000 per year for high-achieving seniors with financial need. Submitted via the Common App. Opens in late August.
Coca-Cola Scholars Program: An achievement-based $20,000 scholarship recognizing students for their capacity to lead and serve. Opens August 3.
Hagan Scholarship: Need-based merit award helping rural and public high school students graduate college debt-free. Opens September 1.
Foundation 649 Scholarship: Disburses $4,000 awards to Asian American and Pacific Islander students dedicated to community involvement. Opens in the winter.
QuestBridge National College Match: Connects high-achieving, low-income seniors with full four-year scholarships to top-tier universities. Opens in late summer.
Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship: Awards 500 four-year scholarships ranging from $4,000 to $30,000 based on academics, leadership, and financial need. Opens August 1.
Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship: Provides up to $10,000 per year for high-achieving Indiana students who commit to teaching in Indiana for at least five years after graduation. Opens in the fall.
Explore Scholarship Databases
BigFuture’s Scholarship Search
Financial Aid Information Guide (includes FAFSA info)
Programs--No University Affiliation
Become a Schoolhouse tutor in many topics, including the SAT, deadline dependent on program. Don't delay if you want to volunteer over the summer.
Receive training, develop leadership, accumulate service hours!
To become an SAT Bootcamp tutor you need a score of 700+ on SAT Math or SAT Reading and Writing.
Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS). November 5 2026 (Applications open June 2026). Cost: Free. The nation's oldest and most prestigious science competition for high school seniors. Focuses on original, independent scientific research across all STEM disciplines. Requires a comprehensive research report, transcripts, and recommendations.
Davidson Fellows Scholarship. Early February 2027. Cost: Free. Awards scholarships up to $50,000 for students who have completed a significant, graduate-level piece of work. Focus areas include STEM, Literature, Philosophy, or Music. Eligibility: Open to students aged 18 or under attending any traditionally accredited public or private high school in the United States.
Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI). Rolling submission. Cost: $49 submission fee (100% waivable upon request for financial need). A peer-reviewed journal publishing original, hypothesis-driven STEM research by middle and high school students. Submissions undergo an authentic review process by graduate students and faculty. Note: Submissions must be uploaded by a teacher or adult mentor.
The National High School Journal of Science (NHSJS). Rolling submission. Cost: Free. A student-run, peer-reviewed journal with a professional advisory board designed to make academic publishing accessible to high schoolers. Focuses on STEM original research articles and comprehensive literature reviews. https://nhsjs.org/
The Thomas Wolfe Scholarship (UNC Chapel Hill). October 15, 2026 (UNC general application) and November 15, 2026 (Wolfe portfolio submission). Cost: Free. A full-merit scholarship covering all expenses for student writers who apply and enroll at UNC Chapel Hill. Focuses on creative writing portfolios in prose, poetry, or playwriting.
National YoungArts Competition. Mid-October 2026. Cost: Free. The premier national platform for young artists. Focuses on Creative Nonfiction, Novel, Play/Script, Poetry, or Short Story portfolios. Requires a substantial multi-page portfolio compiled over the summer. Winners receive cash prizes, national mentorship, and exclusive consideration for the Presidential Scholar in the Arts nomination.
Bennington College Young Writers Awards. November 1, 2026. Cost: Free. Highly prestigious national competition judged by Bennington College faculty. Focuses on Poetry, Fiction, or Nonfiction/Academic Essays. First place wins $1,000 and eligibility for four-year undergraduate scholarships up to $60,000. Students must submit a Common Application to Bennington College first (non-binding, no application fee) to receive the portal link to submit their writing. Because you must wait to receive this link via email, you should submit your Common App well before the November 1 deadline (ideally in September or October). All entries must be reviewed and approved by a high school sponsor teacher.
The New York Times Student Writing Contests. Rolling throughout the year. Cost: Free. Short, creative prompts with strict word limits that teach precise editing skills. Focuses on short-form opinion writing, reviews, and 100-word personal narratives. The Summer Reading Contest runs weekly from June through August. Winners are published on the NYT Learning Network.
Technology/App Development Contests
Congressional App Challenge. October 26, 2026. Cost: Free. Hosted by the U.S. House of Representatives, this competition encourages middle and high school students to learn to code and create their own original applications. Students compete against peers in their specific congressional district. Winning apps are eligible to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol and on the House.gov website.
Presidential AI Challenge. Annual cycle starting in August. Cost: Free. A national initiative from the White House challenging students to develop artificial intelligence-powered tools that solve real-world problems in their local communities. Students can compete individually or in teams, with national champions earning recognition in Washington, D.C.
Interested in attending a Service Academy for a full ride plus room, board, and textbooks? Applications for a congressional nomination to the four Service Academies requiring such a nomination are due on October 1 of senior year. Here is some more information:
Congressman Mark Messmer is accepting applications through this form. He provides a checklist, and a Service Academy fact sheet.
Sign up for College Fairs Online and enter a drawing for a $1000 scholarship. The more you engage, the more chances you earn.
Admissions Beat, a podcast wherein an Ivy League Dean demystifies the college search and application process
The College Tour is a free video series providing an inside look at over 110 college campuses through the perspective of current students. Use their website to access their complete library and guided search tools that filter featured colleges by state, public or private status, size, and acceptance rate.
Free College Search Classes: Self-guided, 45-minute video courses designed to help you identify what you want in a university. The core class covers four pillars: location, campus culture, college type, and majors. They also offer a dedicated course for first-generation college students.
Big Future's College Search Guide