- Finish Strong!!! Continue to challenge yourself and take solid elective courses (don’t take a blow-off schedule, fight senioritis).
- Ensure you have completed your A-G requirements if applying to any four year university.
- Continue the activities that interest you most and to which you are most committed.
- Be a leader on your teams, in study groups, and in your activities. Colleges want to see you’ve had an impact on your teams, clubs, groups and activities you’re involved in. So be an active participant in all you do.
- Try to find a job or a volunteer opportunity in a field that will be relevant to your line of study and ultimately your career goals
- Volunteer in your community
- Gather applications to the schools you are considering (note deadlines for admission, scholarships, housing, etc.).
- Develop a calendar of the application, scholarship, and financial aid deadlines you need to meet.
- Meet with your counselor to make sure you are enrolled in the courses required for college admission.
- Make sure your high school counselor knows what you’re looking for in a college so he/she can help you choose the best one for you.
- 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). If you do fall short of the requirements, early application could be your ticket “in”.
- Register for the SAT/ACT in September/October (repeat as necessary or desired). Go to the college board website for SAT and ACT.orgfor ACT to register.
- Meet with college admissions representatives at your selected colleges when they visit your school.
- Attend college fairs in your area
- Visit college campuses, visit many, visit often. Attend events at the colleges you are interested in.
- Ask teachers and/or counselors for letter of recommendations for your admissions applications. Give them plenty of time to complete the letter (at least 2 weeks).
- Draft your application essays. Ask teachers to review them.
- Submit college applications for early admission consideration, deadlines vary for private colleges.
- Submit college admissions applications to the University of California & California State University system by November 30 and keep a separate file for each.
- Attend a financial aid workshop with your parents.
- Register for a FSA ID at www.fafsa.ed.gov to enable you to apply for financial aid.
- Search for private scholarships and grants. Check with employers and local organizations.
- Compile year-end financial records for financial aid applications.
- From October 1- March 2, submit your completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
- Fill out school specific financial aid forms by the deadlines specified.
- You will start receiving college decisions, your Student Aid Report (SAR), and financial aid award letters from colleges at which you have been accepted.
- Decide which college you will attend and forward a deposit by the required date.
- Submit scholarship acceptance forms by the required dates.
- Notify the colleges you will not be attending.
- Stay on top of important deadlines at your chosen college (housing, financial aid, enrollment, etc.)
- If you were awarded loans, choose a low-cost lender.
- Send thank you notes to everyone who helped you get accepted to college.