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Senior Year Timeline

Seniors

After high school you will need some kind of educational training in order to be employable, whether it be an apprenticeship, a community college, a four-year college, or some other form of education. Click here for information on the military academies, military, jobs and apprenticeships. Click here for information on colleges and scholarships. 

This timeline is a general overview of what to expect during your senior year, and to give you an idea of what you can be doing to prepare for your next steps after high school.

For questions about your own path to college, please see your counselor.

AUGUST:

  • Visit the websites of any universities that you might be interested in to become knowledgeable about their admission requirements. Take a virtual tour online, or schedule a free campus tour for yourself.
  • Make a list of any and all universities that interest you. Locate and make a note of any admission or financial aid deadlines.
  • Sign up online for an SAT retake if you want to try and improve your score. If you cannot afford to sign up for a retake, talk to your counselor about a fee waiver.
  • Access the free online SAT test prep through Khan Academy to brush up on your skills.
  • If you are planning to pursue a major in the arts, start getting your portfolio or audition ready.
  • Attend your senior appointment with your counselor to check your credits.

SEPTEMBER:

  • Begin viewing the college representative visitation schedule on Naviance. Sign up to visit with the representatives of colleges that interest you. 
  • Begin searching for scholarships. There are new scholarships added to the scholarship list in Naviance almost every week. You can also use sites such as Fastweb to search for national scholarships.
  • Sign up to retake the October SAT - deadline is early September. 
  • Identify 3-5 adults who could write a strong letter of recommendation for you. Letters of recommendation are often required for college AND scholarship applications. Choose teachers, counselors, administrators, coaches, employers, or other non-family adults who will be able to give specific examples of your great academic or communication skills.
  • College applications are done online, so start creating accounts at all of your college websites. Write down your login information and keep it somewhere safe.
  • Know application deadlines for the schools and scholarships you wish to apply to.  They may vary and it is essential to meet all deadlines!
  • Meet with your school counselor often!
  • Review your applications, transcript, activities resume and college essays with your parents, teachers or school counselors to ensure they are accurate and complete.
  • Get ready for the October SAT by brushing up on your skills at Khan Academy.


OCTOBER:

  • Know your deadlines and keep working on college or scholarship applications!
  • Retake your SAT.
  • Check in on your letters of recommendation - ask teachers to upload them into Naviance. 
  • Maintain your grades – MONITOR YOUR GRADES IN INFINITE CAMPUS
  • Attend any college and financial aid workshops presented by school counselors.
  • Apply for a minimum of 4 scholarships.
  • Start accessing college applications online by creating accounts on their websites.
  • Apply for your College Opportunity Fund (COF) cof.college-assist.org/apply

NOVEMBER:

  • Continue to monitor deadlines for college applications and scholarship applications.
  • Set a goal of completing your college applications by the end of Thanksgiving Break.
  • Continue working on your FAFSA application. Your counselor can help with this.
  • Check each of your college’s websites for their scholarship applications. See which ones you can be applying for now.
  • Make sure to keep your grades up! Colleges will look closely at your senior grades. Monitor these through Infinite Campus often.

DECEMBER:

  • Begin your FAFSA financial aid application at the FAFSA WEBSITE or use CAFSA if you do not have a social security number.
  • Continue applying for scholarships.
  • Begin submitting your college applications online.
  • ​Tell your counselor where you are applying so they can send your official transcripts out.
  • Attend any counseling financial aid presentations at school.
  • Study for your finals!

JANUARY:

  • Request that your counselor send any mid-year grade reports/transcripts to colleges that require them.
  • Check in with your counselor if you are not sure what you should be doing!
  • Make sure to collect all W-2s for parents/guardians for financial aid application. These should arrive by the end of the month.

FEBRUARY:

  • Keep an eye on any college scholarship deadlines. Many of them are due in February and March.
  • Write thank-you notes to any adult from whom you received a letter of recommendation.

MARCH:

  • March 1st is priority deadline for the FAFSA and CAFSA. Submit it as soon as possible.
  • Let your counselor know the outcome of your college applications and scholarship applications as you find out. Counselors use this information for Naviance.

APRIL:

  • Continue looking and applying for scholarships.
  • If you filled out the FAFSA or CAFSA, expect to receive financial aid award letters from any colleges that accepted you. See your counselor about this if you have questions.

MAY:

  • Did you earn any scholarship money from anywhere? Even if you aren't going to use it you will be acknowledged at graduation as a scholarship winner. Talk to your counselor immediately about this.