Guidance: College Planning/ - Financial Aid

High School Planner

Freshman to Senior Year

by Brenda Siffring

October 26, 2007

Your High School Planner

Parents and students ask what should we be doing to prepare for the future. Here is a quick checklist to give an idea of what to do during each year of high school. A great resource to refer to often is the EducationQuest website at http://www.educationquest.org/

Freshman/Sophomore

__ Meet with your guidance counselor to discuss classes and available activities.

__ Plan which classes to take for the next four years.

__ Join clubs and activities in your area of interest. Take leadership positions when possible.

__ Start to build relationships with some of your favorite teachers, counselors and activity advisors who can write recommendations and serve as mentors later.

__ Talk about saving for college with your parents/family.

__ Search for scholarships on the online. Talk to your school counselor about which sites are legal.

__ Attend a college fair and speak with school representatives.

__ Volunteer -- it's a great experience!

__ Sophomores: Take the PLAN. If you can, take a peek at the ACT to get familiar with it.

__ Begin to think about a future college choice.

__ Ask your counselor about contacting former students for picking a school.

__ Research summer programs in your area of interest. Ask your counselor or teachers whether they know of any opportunities.

JUNIOR

__ Explore financial aid options and college planning with your parents/family.

__ Take the most challenging courses you can. Admissions officers look for challenging coursework.

__ Start researching prospective colleges. Visit their web sites.

__ Attend college fairs and speak to campus representatives.

__ Take the PSAT. This is a pre-SAT test.

__ Sign up for the SAT/ACT.

__ Search for scholarships on the online. Talk to your school counselor about which sites are legal.

__ Take leadership roles in clubs, activities and other volunteer and service organizations.

__ From which teachers, advisors or counselors might you want a recommendation? Provide a list of activities and accomplishments as a reminder of your work.

SENIOR

__ Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid as soon as you can after January 1st. You can find the FAFSA online at: www.fafsa.ed.gov. You'll need a PIN www.pin.ed.gov to sign the FAFSA online.

__ Request applications and brochures from your target colleges.

__ Take the SAT and/or ACT in the fall, if you haven't already.

__ Take honors or advanced classes. More challenging courses show that you are prepared for college coursework.

__ Schedule interviews with prospective colleges. Practice your interview skills before heading in for the actual interview.

__ Set up a budget for college and application costs.

__ Get your applications in order by creating files for target schools. Make a list of application requirements (essays, transcripts, recommendations, etc) and deadlines for each. Consider creating your own personal timeline or calendar for this process.

__ Request letters of recommendations from teachers, advisors and employers at least three weeks before you need them. Provide a list of accomplishments for their reference.

__ Work on college application essays.

__ Seek out jobs, internships and/or volunteer work in your community or through your school. In addition to being a rewarding experience, shows an admissions office your commitment to improve your community.