Editor’s Note: The timeline was such a popular feature of the 2000 section on planning for college we decided to update it for this section. So, once again, it’s clip-and-save time.
Planning for college is “like eating an elephant,” said Marybeth Kravets, college counselor at Deerfield High School and past president of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. “You can’t consume the whole thing at one time.
“My best advice is: Start early, keep your mind and options open, [and] stay in the most challenging curriculum you can and still stay healthy. Set realistic priorities, and communicate with your parents–often.”
To help ease the anxiety, here is a year-by-year, step-by-step guide. It has been compiled with the help of Kravets and counselors at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
9TH GRADE
School counselors advise against plotting and fretting about college–yet. However, you still should get the ball rolling.
– Think about your talents and interests, strengths and weaknesses, and what kind of career you might like.
– Visit your guidance counselor and discuss ways to map out college-prep classes.
– Ask about summer programs.
– Make a summer reading list.
– Parents: Get involved. Help your child see how his or her assets can translate into a career. Start a scrapbook of accomplishments in the academic, civic and social fields. It can be used later as a reference tool when it’s time to fill out college applications.
10TH GRADE
By now, you should have a better idea of who you are and what your interests are, so you can get specific with your planning.
– Talk with your adviser about adding honors classes, as well as the pros and cons of taking the PSAT, PACT or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
– If you are struggling academically, add tutorial help.
– Join school clubs, athletic programs and community events, if you haven’t done so already.
– Begin your homework on financial-aid opportunities and college-savings plans.
– While you’re on a family trip, chart a quick drive around a couple of college campuses to see the difference between a rural and urban college.
– Explore summer programs.
Update your summer reading list.
11TH GRADE
Get serious, but keep your balance.
SEPTEMBER
– Meet with your school guidance, college or career counselor.
– You should be in some college-prep classes. Colleges like to see four years of English, history, math, science and a foreign language.
– Continue to think extracurricular: Remember, college admissions officers like to see activity on a college resume. Do you still need to join school clubs and organizations (and be an officer), and sports teams? What about those community events?
– Review college-prep course requirements. Focus on subjects in which you need improvement and work on your weak spots. If honors classes aren’t already on your schedule, find out how you can add them to the mix in the second semester.
– Get a schedule for the SAT or ACT tests, if you are planning to take either between September and June of your junior year. The SAT I and ACT tests contain sections to measure the degree of knowledge students have in areas that include science, literature and the humanities.
– The first tentative registration deadline for the SAT I and II is Sept. 9 for testing on Oct. 11. If you miss the first round of testing, there will be more chances to register. The last registration for the SAT I /II are April 30, 2004, and May 12, 2004, for tests to be held June 5, 2004.
– The first registration deadline for the ACT is Sept. 5 for the Sept. 27 test. May 21, 2004, is the last registration for the ACT test on June 12, 2004.
– If your ACT and SAT I test scores are a matter of concern, don’t sweat it too much–they can be taken more than once. But there are a few words of warning: A new SAT policy requires that scores from all SAT I/II tests be released to prospective colleges. Before, students could pick their best score. The good news? The SAT and ACT no longer flag tests to indicate if special accommodation was made.
– If you are considering a more competitive college, check to see if SAT II subject tests are required. Talk to your counselor and teachers about this test. A word to the wise: The ACT and SAT will include a writing component on all tests beginning in 2005.
OCTOBER
– Prepare for the PSAT or PACT test. You may want to check test-preparation books, computer programs or courses. Try the sample questions on various Web sites.
– The first national SAT I/II test date is Oct. 11.
– A question-and-answer service for the SAT I will be offered Oct. 11, and Jan. 24 and May 1 and 2, 2004.
NOVEMBER
– Ask your school guidance, college or career counselor for tips on ways to begin your college search.
– Take notes as they advise you to check college fairs and school nights; talk with your parents, alumni and professionals in your field of study; and start doing your homework on the colleges you like.
– Start collecting those college catalogs.
– Point and click your way to an array of Web sites that take the phrase “mind-boggling” out of the admission process.
– Get specific: Identify what you want from a college education.
– Develop a first-choice list.
– Rate each college on the academic programs and degrees offered; academic reputation in your field of study; location; cost and chances for financial aid; admission requirements; size and diversity of the student body; types of housing; classroom demographics, such as the ratio of students to faculty; and the quality of life within the university community.
DECEMBER
– Make a list of colleges you would like to visit. Put their names on individual, expandable files.
– Book your visits in advance and set up an itinerary that will enable you to do the following: Meet with admissions and financial-aid counselors; take a tour with a student; visit a professor in your academic area; sit in on a class; talk with music directors, coaches and faculty members involved in activities; eat in the cafeteria and student union; and visit dormitories.
– Treat the visit as you would a job interview: Have a good idea of what is in your high-school record so you can answer questions about your academic performance and, if applicable, scores on standardized tests. Have a list of questions on topics such as class size, retention and graduation rates, dormitory life, food service, financial aid and the kinds of things that differentiate the school from others. While there, try to determine actual costs and the type of financial aid that is offered.
– Take your parents. While you may be looking at classrooms and social amenities, your parents may be seeing deferred maintenance.
– If you can’t visit, check the Web: Many schools offer online tours. “The new technology is great. Students can take virtual tours that make them feel like they are on campus,” Kravets said. “But be careful–the Web sites would have you believe it never snows in Minnesota.”
– The PSAT reports are generally returned in December. Review the score and use the results to prepare for the SAT I or II during your second semester.
JANUARY
– Prepare for your admissions tests. Another SAT I/II test date is tentatively set for Jan. 24, 2004.
– Talk with your parents about how your education will be financed.
– Schedule more college visits.
– Attend college fairs.
FEBRUARY
– Talk to your counselor and teachers about taking the SAT II in the spring. Colleges don’t always require these subject tests but sometimes they can bolster your applications.
– An ACT test is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2004.
MARCH
– Meet with your counselor–again. Don’t worry about being a pest! They like to see you.
– Talk about summer youth programs related to your interests on or off college campuses, such as a geology class aboard a mountain bike that’s offered by Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich. Consider a summer music or theater program, an international exchange program or an internship.
– Discuss senior classes you will take to show strong, steadfast preparation for college.
– If your spring break falls in March or April, use that time to visit more colleges. Because of the rolling spring break, it’s possible that you’ll be visiting while classes are in session.
APRIL
– You still may be visiting campuses.
– Brag it up! Start pulling your accomplishments together. You’ll need a resume prepared in your senior year. It won’t hurt to start listing your credits and accomplishments now, as well as those people you would like as references.
– Book summer college visits.
MAY
– It’s last call for sign-ups for the ACT and SAT I /II tests.
– Finalize your summer program plans. If summer school is not on the agenda, pound the pavement for a job–ideally, one that follows your career path.
– Study hard for final exams. Your GPA can’t take a nosedive now.
JUNE
– Confirm your senior-year courses.
– Carry more than a backpack filled with old sandwich wrappers and broken pens home when you start your summer break. Pack it with literature and/or books that are part of the college-application process. Also, make sure you get a summer reading list from your English teacher.
JULY
– Show up for work, internship or classes on time. Remember the line in the movie “Men in Black”: You are there to be the “best of the best, of the best, sir!”
– Try not to spend all your downtime at the beach, pool, golf course or movies. Take numerous dips in the Web to stay on top of the learning curve about the admission-and-selection process.
– Read, read, read.
AUGUST
Buy a calendar to log college-related moves.
12TH GRADE
Reality check: You are in the home stretch.
But as you work your way through the final chapters of the senior yearbook, avoid getting swallowed up in the limelight.
SEPTEMBER
– Continue your college-prep and honors classes–and apply yourself.
– If you haven’t done so or you want to try again, get the SAT I/II schedule so you can take the tests this fall.
– If you are planning to take the ACT, you’ll need that schedule too.
– Meet with your counselor to discuss your college plans.
– Keep going to college fairs.
– Check out the applications for the colleges you want.
– Begin gathering substantive scholarship and financial information.
OCTOBER
– It’s SAT test time. Practice. Check Web sites that offer advice on test taking and try more of the sample questions. Get plenty of rest and eat a high-carbohydrate breakfast before hand. Remember the tests are designed to demonstrate skills you already have.
– Check to see if the school you want to attend requires an SAT II test.
– Start working on your essays.
– Winnow your list to three to six schools (but no more than eight).
– Make a master schedule of all application and financial-aid deadlines for the schools of your choice.
– Find out your high school’s application-processing deadline. If you need recommendations from teachers and counselors, request them now.
NOVEMBER
– Retake the SAT, if necessary.
– Avoid procrastinating on applications. Counselors generally recommend mailing applications in December, unless you decide to apply under an early-decision or early-action plan.
– If you are planning on early decision or early action, ask your counselor for potential pitfalls involving your choices. Some colleges–Ivy League schools, in particular–are changing their early-decision policies.
– Fine-tune your essays. Don’t be afraid to ask your counselor or a teacher for insight.
DECEMBER
– Pick up your Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, known as FAFSA. The form, required to qualify for federal student financial aid, is sent to the federal and state governments and the colleges identified by students. Be aware the deadlines for states and colleges differ from the federal guideline; you may need to fill out an additional form. To be sure you’re taking the proper steps in applying for financial aid, check with your counselor for deadline and form requirements.
– Send in your college applications.
– Continue to seek scholarships. Let your counselor help you. Financial-aid representatives at the colleges you’ve applied to also may have good ideas.
JANUARY
– Continue to attend college fairs, college nights and college-sponsored socials. You may find you’ve overlooked a school or changed your mind about one you’ve applied to.
– Complete the FAFSA and any other financial-aid or scholarship forms and applications.
FEBRUARY
– This is the ideal time to mail your FAFSA. Priority consideration is given to financial-aid applications received by March 15.
– Check to see if your school is on top of it: Have transcripts and recommendations been sent to the colleges of your choice?
MARCH
– Now that your applications are in the mail, pat yourself on the back. All you have to do is avoid getting stressed-out while waiting for that envelope to arrive.
– Avoid senioritis: College admissions officers sometimes ask for senior-year performance updates.
– Continue looking for scholarship prospects.
APRIL
– After you have heard from all the colleges, review the financial-aid packages.
– Revisit your top choices, if needed.
– Decide on your college by May 1.
MAY
– Send in deposits and secure housing.
– As a courtesy, notify the schools you did not select.
– Keep up your studies. Don’t bomb-out on tests.
– Find a job, internship or summer study program that will keep you on track.
– Thank your counselor–and your parents.
JUNE AND JULY
– Attend orientation weekends or meetings at your new school.
– Enjoy the summer.
– Make a list of things you’ll need for your new home.
– Write a letter to your new roommate.
AUGUST
– Visit friends you’ll be leaving behind.
– Pack–and you’re on your way.
– Parents: Assemble that high-school scrapbook you started four years ago.
