By: Caroline Koppelman | Download PDF File
Summer before senior year:
- Brainstorm ideas for common app essay
- Create a preliminary list of about 20-25 safety, target, and reach schools
August:
- Create a common app account
- Finish all logistical sections of the common app
- Start (and try to finish) common app essay
- Register for final standardized tests
- Narrow down your list of colleges to roughly 15 schools and consider applying early
September:
Visit schools for a final time. If you’re deciding between a few schools for an early application, visit them again. You should also visit as many schools on your list as possible to demonstrate interest
- Update Naviance
- Register for final standardized tests
- Ask teachers for recommendation letters
- Finalize your list of colleges
- Meet with you guidance counselor. Give your guidance counselor your finalized list of schools
- Finish common app essay
- Run for leadership positions
- Make changes to your schedule so that you can take the most challenging course-load available
- Create a master schedule with all of the due dates for every application, supplement, etc. for every school you’re applying to
- Decide on your Early Decision or Restrictive Early Action and Early Action schools
October:
- Take final standardized tests (this is the last time you an take the ACT for early decision applications)
- Finish early decision application
- Start regular decision applications
- Send standardized test scores to early decision college
- Edit and re-edit your common app essay. Then edit again
- Have guidance counselor send transcripts
- Keep your grades up
November:
- Submit early decision application
- Finish at least two-thirds of your regular decision applications before December 1st. If you don’t get into your early decision school, you don’t want to spend all of winter break working on applications.
- Take the SAT/SAT 2s for the last time for early decision schools. Check with your specific school for details
December:
- Send standardized test scores to regular decision schools
- If you do not get accepted to your early decision school, send in regular decision applications
- If you have decided to apply to more regular decision schools than were on your initial list, notify your guidance counselor immediately so she can send your transcripts
- Complete your final regular decision applications
January:
- Submit all regular decision applications
- Have your guidance counselor send your first semester grades
- Make sure you receive confirmation on all of the applications you submitted
February:
- If you were deferred early decision, send a mid-year update to your school of choice
March:
- You should begin hearing from colleges in mid-March
April:
- You will hear from all of your colleges by April 1st
- Prepare for AP tests
May:
- Final decision about college is made on May 1st