Senior Year Checklist

_____ Continue to challenge yourself and take solid elective courses.
_____ Maintain a strong GPA. Colleges will see your midyear and final grades
_____ Write your application essays with care and have them critiqued by others;
           they are your on-paper interview.
_____ Visit college campuses for tours and set up interviews with admissions staff.
_____ Talk to people whose opinions you respect about the schools you are considering.
_____ Attend events at the colleges you are interested in.
_____ Go stay with friends who are in college. Find out what they like and dislike.

Early Fall
_____ Gather applications to the schools you are considering (note deadlines for admission, financial aid, scholarships, housing, etc.).
_____ Line up people to write letters of recommendation (choose people who actually know you). Give them plenty of time to write the letter(s).
_____ Borrow scholarship information (contact names, addresses, applications, etc.) from someone a year ahead of you who received several scholarships.  Check with Guidance, church, town organizations for scholarship opportunities.
_____ Get to know the admission criteria for your top schools. Know where you stand in relation to those requirements and work toward changing what you can (if you fall short).
_____ Take the ACT/SAT (repeat as necessary or desired).
_____ Apply for admission (if seeking early admission)

Mid-Fall
_____ Talk to your high school counselor about local scholarships and get the applications. Keep checking back for information on the latest scholarships, but don't drive them nuts!
_____ Take AP/CLEP/IB/SAT II tests if applicable.  (Contact the Guidance Dept. for more information on these tests.)
_____ Apply for admission (if not seeking early admission).  Be sure to check with the college Admission Departments for application deadlines and admission policies.
_____ Apply for scholarships before Christmas break (verify the arrival of your application, transcripts, etc.)
_____ Check with colleges to make sure your admission file is complete (application, essay, letters of recommendations, SAT scores and transcripts).
_____ Check with Guidance for policy on transcripts. (Stamped addressed envelope with your name written on the inside flap.)

January
_____ Attend a financial aid workshop.
_____ Apply for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) pin numbers. for both parent and student.  You can apply at the U.S. Department of Education's PIN site, www.pin.ed.gov, by selecting Apply for a PIN.
_____ Apply for financial aid (as soon after Jan. 1 as possible)    
_____ Have your parents submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in January http://www.fafsa.ed.gov  Don’t forget to electronically sign with both of your pin numbers – (1 for a parent and 1 for the student).