Even though it’s still summer time, for rising seniors at local high schools staying on track for the college application process starts as early as junior year.
For college-bound high school seniors, the College Board has provided the following information as a general guideline for the college application process and has a few recommendations for the fall.
Fall of senior year is the time students should be deciding on the top five to ten colleges they will be applying to. Visiting colleges in person if possible is encouraged to get a first-hand account of what the campus life is like and if it suits the students’ needs.
Creating a master calendar of deadline dates and events is crucial to keeping things in order as academic life grows more and more chaotic as the year progresses. Some things to include on the master calendar are exam dates along with associated fees and registration deadlines, college application due dates, and required financial aid forms.
Seniors should take advantage of their school’s counselor or CAP Advisor to request fee waivers.
Though the SAT is usually taken junior year, seniors can choose to take it once more in the fall to help boost scores.
Students can begin applying for financial aid as early as October 1. Completing the CSS/Finanical Aid Profile helps certain colleges determine eligibility for their aid.
Early decision or rolling applications should be completed as soon as possible.
Recommendations from counselors or teachers should be requested far in advance of college application due dates. Students can provide their teacher with their academic record and any college forms required.
First drafts for college essays should have a rough draft completed, and even a final draft, by October for colleges with early decision due dates as early as November 1.
Submit proper forms for counselors to send transcripts to colleges at least two weeks before the colleges require them.
For more information on college readiness visit
www.collegeboard.org.