College Planning


9th Grade Year

  • Keep Your Grades Up! All of your grades from this point count toward the GPA you will use on your college. Check on your GPA (you can get this from your school counselor).
  • Think carefully about the classes you choose to take. Many colleges consider strength of curriculum to be very important in the college application process.
  • Keep a small notebook in which you record every activity (including dates and amount of time participated). This will much easier for you when you begin to construct your high school resume.
  • Participate in activities you are passionate about. Do a few things you really care about and make a difference in those areas. It looks better on a resume for you to be highly involved in the activities in which you participate, rather than just a member of a bunch of different clubs.
  • Look for leadership opportunities both in and out of school.
  • Community Service is very important for college admissions and for scholarships.
  • Read! This will help you on your upcoming ACT/SAT tests!
  • Don’t just sit around in the summer….show that you can make good use of your time!

10th Grade Year

  • All of the things listed in the 9th grade calendar plus:
  • Begin thinking about what college(s) you would like to attend. Look up these colleges and see what kind of grades and test scores would be required for admission.
  • Begin to construct a “possible” college list. The list should include colleges that would be a stretch (you would really like to go but it would be hard to get in, or you think you could get in but are not sure how you could pay for it), a reach (you should be able to get into this college based on all of the information you have at this time), and a safety school (you know you could get into this college).
  • Begin to visit colleges whenever you have the opportunity. Talk to others you know at different colleges and ask them questions.
  • Visit a college fair. Your college guidance counselor can help you find a college fair .After you get your PSAT and PLAN scores make a plan for preparing for the ACT /SAT.
  • Take the ACT/SAT at the end of your sophomore year for a benchmark score.
  • Meet with your Guidance Counselor.

11th Grade Year

September

  • Make sure you know what your GPA is and what score(s) would be required for admission to the college(s) of your choice. Keep Your Grades Up!
  • This year will be the last set of grades the colleges see when considering you for admission(most college applications are due in the fall, before first senior year first year semester classes are completed)
  • Begin preparing for the PSAT/SAT by reading the review booklets.
  • Sign up for the Junior Newsletter on collegeboard.com
  • Register for the ACT/SAT
  • Visit a college fair

October

  • Meet with college representatives on campus
  • Take the PSAT at school
  • Begin compiling information about schools you are interested in attending(admission requirements, deadlines, scholarship information, visit days)
  • Set up a filing system for all of your college information
  • Continue recording your activities in your notebook(the one you started in the 9th grade)
  • Register for a December ACT or SAT

November

  • Keep Your Grades Up!
  • Plan some college visits.

December

  • Register for the January SAT or February ACT
  • Study hard for your finals! Remember, this is the last year of grades most colleges will see (when considering your application) on your high school transcript
  • Talk to people you know about colleges
  • Continue visiting college websites to learn more about individual schools

January

  • Concentrate on doing well in your classes!
  • Continue research on colleges.
  • Make a list of colleges you would like to visit and try to find a time to visit them.
  • Take the SAT
  • If needed, talk to your college guidance counselor about ACT/SAT preparation.
  • Attend “Making the College Search Count” workshop.
  • Use results from your PSAT/PLAN to help you prepare for the ACT/SAT

February

  • Start ACT/SAT prep if necessary
  • Take the ACT

March

  • Visit colleges during Spring Break if possible
  • Work on your list of colleges to which you are interested in applying

April

  • Schedule an appointment with your guidance counselor to discuss college selection, test scores, and scholarship information.
  • Begin working on developing a resume. Examples of resume formats can be obtained from your guidance counselor.
  • Register for the ACT/SAT or SAT subject tests given in May or June.

May

  • Take the AP Exam if you are currently taking an AP course.
  • Make plans to do constructive things during the summer(volunteer work or a job)
  • If you plan to play athletics in college ask your counselor about sending a transcript to the NCAA

Summer of Junior Year

  • Stay involved
  • Work on ACT/SAT prep if needed

Senior Year

August

  • Register for the September ACT or October SAT if necessary.
  • Meet with your college counselor to go over college application plans.

September

  • Complete your resume.
  • Make a list of all deadlines for college applications and scholarships you are interested in.
  • Ask your teachers and counselors for recommendation letters.
  • Begin writing scholarship and application essays.
  • Be sure the colleges you are applying to have your SAT/ACT test scores (and AP and Subject Test scores if necessary).
  • Visit a college fair and visit with college representatives on campus.

October

  • Some colleges have application deadlines in this month…make sure you meet those deadlines.
  • Research all scholarship options at the schools to which you are planning to apply or have applied. Don’t miss any
  • deadlines.
  • Register for the November SAT if necessary.

November

  • Please do not make a deposit at a college until you have talked with your guidance counselor.
  • Take the SAT again.
  • Register for the ACT if needed.
  • Continue to search for scholarships.
  • Parents will meet for a financial aid workshop.

December

  • Take the SAT/ACT if needed.
  • Keep your grades up.
  • Have your family begin getting tax information together for financial aid applications.

January

  • Let your counselor know if a college needs a mid-year report for you.
  • Have your parents complete the (FAFSA) as soon as possible, making sure they meet all deadlines established by the colleges you might be attending.(This will be discussed on financial aid night).
  • Have you parents complete the appropriate paperwork for you to receive the HOPE scholarship at any Georgia school you may be attending? (Have your parents contact the financial aid offices of the schools in order to determine their financial aid deadlines).

February

  • Let your counselor know about your college acceptances and scholarship offers.

March

  • Begin deciding on your college choice.
  • Visit colleges again during Spring Break if necessary.

April

  • Attend “Making College and Career Count” workshop.
  • Make your college choice and decline any other offer of admission in writing.

May

  • May 1 is the deadline required by most colleges to notify them of your decision. Place only one deposit.
  • Take AP exams for any AP courses you are currently taking.
  • Let your guidance counselor know where to send your final transcript.

College search and admission websites:
All of the websites below have a great deal of information to help “match” you with colleges you might be interested in attending. Many of the websites also have tips on the college admission process.

FamilyEducation.com
CollegeBoard.com
GoCollege.com
MyCollegeOptions.org
PrincetonReview.com

Recommended Reading for College Searches and Admissions:
The Truth About Getting In by Katherine Cohen
Essays that Worked edited by Boykin Curry and Brian Kasbar
Get It Together for College by Collegeboard
The 75 Biggest Myths about College Admissions by Dr. Jerry Israel
How to Make Colleges Want You by Mike Moyer
Fiske Guide to Colleges by Edward B. Fiske
Choosing The Right College by Intercollegiate Studies Institute

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