Take What? Apply
Where?
When?
College Admission Timeline
Sophomore year
- Take challenging courses and make plans for honors
and/or AP work in grades 11 and 12.
- Take the PSAT in October if offered for sophomores at
your school. Advanced students should consider taking SAT II subject tests in
May or June.
Junior
year
Note: Work hard this year. Your chances
for admission or a scholarship will depend largely on your academic
record.
September-November
- Begin sizing up your college needs.
- Read college guides and/or use a computer college
search.
- Meet with guidance counselor.
- Take the PSAT.
December-February
- Consider an SAT prep course and register for the
January, March, and/or May administration of the SAT I. Register for ACT if
applicable.
- Talk to parents, teachers, older friends, and guidance
counselors about colleges.
- Discuss finances and the college selection process
with parents.
March-April
- Sift through college mail. Begin preliminary
choosing.
- Meet with your guidance counselor to discuss a
preliminary list of colleges.
- Begin visiting colleges and/or plan summer
visits.
- Take the SAT I or ACT if scheduled. Register for June
administration of SAT IIs.
May
- Settle on a working list of 8 to 12 colleges and
continue scheduling visits.
- Take SAT I and AP tests if scheduled.
June
- Take SAT II's or ACT if scheduled.
- Relax and enjoy the end of school.
July-August
- Go on summer visits.
- Drop and add schools from your list.
- Talk to friends about colleges they are interested
in.
- Begin work on college essays, prepare for fall
standardized tests.
Senior
year
September
- Continue college visits.
- Meet with your counselor.
- Consider early decision or early action.
- Receive application forms from the colleges.
- Arrange to take the SAT I or II and ACT in October,
November and December.
- Continue scholarship search and continue throughout
the year.
October
- Continue college visits, file early decision/action
applications if applicable.
- Settle on final list of five to seven schools to apply
to.
- Get a copy of your transcript and check it
over.
- Talk with your counselor about the logistics of the
application process.
- Ask teachers to write recommendations and provide them
with the necessary forms and envelopes.
- Double-check deadlines for admission, housing, and
financial aid.
- If applying to selective private colleges, register to
receive the College Board Financial Aid Profile form. If applying for early
decision/action, file as soon as possible.
- Take SAT I or II or ACT if scheduled. (Last date for
first round early decision/action.)
November
- File applications with December deadlines.
- Continue distributing recommendation forms.
- Continue working on applications.
- Take SAT I or II if scheduled.
December
- File applications with January deadlines.
- Politely check with teachers and counselor to make
sure that recommendations and transcript have been sent.
- Get Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
from the guidance office and ask parents to begin collecting tax
information.
- Take SAT I or II or ACT (last date for January or
February deadlines.)
January-February
- Continue to file applications.
- Call admissions offices to verify that your
applications are complete.
- File the FAFSA and Profile forms, and be ready for
follow up.
- Take final SAT I or II or ACT.
March-April
- Receive decision letters.
- Scrutinize financial aid offers and call the colleges
if you have concerns.
- If wait listed, follow up with a letter and additional
recommendations.
- Schedule last-minute visits to colleges where accepted
or wait listed.
- Make final decision and send in deposit.
May
- Take AP tests.
- Give yourself a pat on the back. You did it! Now start
thinking about how to decorate your dorm room...
Written by Bruce Hammond, former
Managing Editor of the Fiske Guide to Colleges.
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