College Counseling
Planning Calendar
Junior Year
October
- Take the PSAT/NMSQT.
January
- Take the SAT.
February–April
- Read the College Handbook. After reading it, please complete the enclosed college questionnaire, rite your two-page autobiography, and submit both to Cheryl Ackner as soon as possible.
- Ask parents to complete the parent questionnaire and return to you college counselor.
- Begin Junior Seminar.
- Schedule an individual meeting with your college counselor one week after completing the college questionnaire and autobiography. If possible, invite your parents to attend your initial meeting.
- Begin using the Internet and printed resources to investigate colleges.
February–May
- Begin working with the College Board’s interactive on-line SAT prep program. Your access code will be give to you by your college counselor.
- Make sure you are registered as an inquiry at all colleges of interest.
March
- Register for May SAT at: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/reg.html
- The deadline for registering for this test is April 1.
- International students for whom English is the second language should register to take the TOEFL at home over the summer. Sign up at www.ets.org/toefl.
- During spring vacation, begin visiting colleges (optional).
April
- Make course selections for the senior year in consultation with advisor and college counselor.
- Register for June 7 SAT (or Subject Tests in two or three different subjects) by May 6.
- Register for June 14 ACT exam by May 9 at www.actstudent.org or pick up a paper registration from the College Office.
- Deadline for college questionnaire and autobiography, April 16.
May
- Take SAT/Subject Tests (May 3).
- Take Advanced Placement examinations if appropriate.
June
- Take SAT Subject Tests/SAT (June 7).
- Take ACT (June 14).
Summer
- Visit colleges. Make appointments for any college visits planned for the fall.
- Athletes: to compete in Division I or Division II college sports and to be eligible to be recruited by colleges, register with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse. Refer to: http://www.ncaa.org/mailbox/clearinghouse.html.
- International students for whom English is the second language register take the TOEFL at www.ets.org/toefl.
Senior Year
September
- Make appointment(s) with your college counselor immediately upon your return to campus. Sit down with everyone who has a stake in your college decision and solicit their input. Listen to what everyone has to say.
- Make sure you are registered as an inquiry at all colleges of interest.
- Request admissions application forms from colleges (or print them off their website) if you have not received them.
- Register for the October or November SAT or SAT Subject Tests.
- Register for the October ACT.
- International students for whom English is the second language register to take the TOEFL at www.ets.org/toefl.
- Visit The Common Application Web site at www.commonapp.org to see if your colleges participate in this program. If not, find college application forms on line. Make a list of all college application and financial aid deadlines and place them in your planner or organize them in a college planning spreadsheet.
- Monitor the schedule of college representative visits in the college office and sign up to attend appropriate presentations.
- Visit (or re-visit) colleges of strong interest for admission interviews.
- Ask (2) teachers in person if they would be willing write recommendations for you.
October
- Explore ED/EA options with your counselor.
- Narrow down your list to about 10-15 colleges.
- Continue to monitor the schedule of college representative visits in the college office and sign up to attend appropriate presentations.
- Take the SAT and/or ACT.
- Register for November SAT or SAT Subject Tests
- Register for December ACT and/or SAT/ SAT Subject Tests.
- Begin work on college applications.
- Have college essays reviewed by either a college counselor or a faculty member.
- Continue consultations with your college counselor.
- International students for whom English is the second language should take or retake the TOEFL.
- Provide each of the teachers who will write your recommendations the materials noted in the section on teacher recommendations.
- Continue visiting colleges of strong interest for admission interviews and open houses.
- Contact College Board/Act to request that score reports be sent to colleges.
November
- Finalize your list of colleges.
- Sign up in the College Office to attend college representative visits.
- Take SAT or SAT Subject Tests.
- Continue working on applications and essays.
- Regular decision applicants request teacher recommendations and send score reports.
- Continue consultations with your college counselor.
- File November deadline ED/EA applications.
- File rolling admission applications.
December
- Re-take SAT or SAT Subject Tests.
- Report results from EA and ED applications to college counselor.
- Arrange for SAT/ACT scores to be sent to colleges.
- Ensure that the teachers writing your recommendations have everything they need before Revels.
- File December EDI/EA applications; file ED II and January 1 regular applications over vacation.
- Make sure that the College Office has received your finalized college list and a secondary school report form for every college to which you are applying before Revels week begins.
January
- Complete January 15 and later applications.
- Obtain and complete financial aid application forms.
- Investigate scholarship options.
February
- Schedule catch-up meeting with your college counselor to review application status and college list.
- Expect decisions from certain colleges on rolling admissions. Notify the college counselor of all decisions as they come in.
March
- Continue to work hard academically—the spring semester can make a difference.
April
- Expect decisions from all colleges.
- Revisit colleges where you have been accepted.
- Work with your family and college counselor to decide which college to attend.
- Notify the College Counseling Office of your final choice.
- Notify all colleges of your enrollment intentions prior to May 1
May
- May 1: Deadline for enrollment deposit.
- Decline acceptances in writing—promptly—where you do not plan to enroll.
- Take AP's if appropriate.
- Complete year in as strong a position as possible so as not to risk losing your place in college.
