• March/April - Time to brainstorm! The concept of applying to colleges can be massively overwhelming. Thus writing it out will help take the weight off your shoulders and simplify the process. I suggest sitting down and erasing all schools from your mind. Then in the most general way possible answer the following questions:

1. "What are the most important parts of going to college for you?"

2. "What are your deciding factors? or What factors are going to help you make your decision?"

This can be written as a list, essay, whatever! The point of this exercise to help you figure out (institutions aside) what do you really hope to get out of college? The first question is meant to be a brain dump with answers ranging from location, to weather, to nearby burger places, or academic rigor, internship programs, and financial aid.

The second question is meant to help you narrow your focus, and essentially help you rank your colleges down the road. But it's very important that both questions are answered as honestly and openly as possible.

• May/June - Research time! Once you've established what you hope to get out of college and what your deciding factors are, it's time to research. I'm sure by this point you have several schools in mind, but if not try googling top schools for your criteria. From here it's time to see how each school measures up to your chosen criteria. There are several methods for collection this information. The first is solo research, and the second would be to look into virtual info sessions or "tours".

The research aspect of this process may be simplified by making a spreadsheet of your top criteria and recording where each school stands. Not only will this keep you organized but it will help you further narrow your focus as well as energy. By this I mean it's better to have 3 or 4 solid applications to your top schools, than 7 mediocre-at-best applications to schools you might not even want to go to.

• June/July - Now that you've done all your research and know where each school measures up, it's time to create your final list of schools AND their application requirements! To help keep you organized (and from getting overwhelmed) I recommend creating a personal planning system for each school's admission requirements to keep you on track.

• July/August - The majority of college applications open August 1^st while some are open year round. Either way this means that you can go ahead and knock them out! The first step will be filling out the biographical information, which is tedious but pretty straight forward.

You can also begin your essays, resumes, and contact info for the teachers/coaches who are going to write your letters of recommendation.*

***Side note. Summer approaching your senior year or just as your going back to school is the time to reach out to your teachers/coaches for letters of recommendation. It is one of the easiest things to get off your checklist, seeing as all you have to do is write them an email.

• September/October - Finishing up your applications. At this point you should have the biographical information, essays, and teacher rec info almost complete. Aside from finishing up your writing, your final tasks are to check in with your school’s guidance counselor about

1. Sending your transcripts to schools

and

2. Sending in your SAT/ACT/AP scores.***

***Side note. The majority of colleges and universities have made test scores optional due to the pandemic. If you were able to take them and feel confident in them, send it in! However, if you don’t like your scores, feel they don’t accurately represent your abilities, or simply weren’t able to take them, that is also COMPLETELY FINE. You are in the majority if you do not send them in.

• October/November - Submit your applications! Finalizing your applications at this point may depend on outside parties submitting your letters of rec, test scores, or transcripts. Just keep checking to ensure those items are received, and you're good! Congratulations!

• After Submission: From here you can continue to make the most of your senior year and prepare for the future, by staying on top of your grades and extracurriculars. It is also an opportune time to look into scholarships and financial aid from your top schools.

I highly recommend contacting someone from the various financial aid departments or admission counselors to help you with this process. They have lots of insider knowledge and do genuinely want to help you!***

***Side note. Look into filling out your FAFSA early! The deadline is in mid-January, however filling it out early means that it can be processed earlier and may give you a better shot at receiving funding depending on the program you're applying to.

• June/July - Time to brainstorm! The concept of applying to colleges can be massively overwhelming. Thus writing it out will help take the weight off your shoulders and simplify the process. I suggest sitting down and erasing all schools from your mind. Then in the most general way possible answer the following questions:

1. "What are the most important parts of going to college for you?"

2. "What are your deciding factors? or What factors are going to help you make your decision?"

This can be written as a list, essay, whatever! The point of this exercise to help you figure out (institutions aside) what do you really hope to get out of college? The first question is meant to be a brain dump with answers ranging from location, to weather, to nearby burger places, or academic rigor, internship programs, and financial aid.

The second question is meant to help you narrow your focus, and essentially help you rank your colleges down the road. But it's very important that both questions are answered as honestly and openly as possible.

• July - Research time! Once you've established what you hope to get out of college and what your deciding factors are, it's time to research. I'm sure by this point you have several schools in mind, but if not try googling top schools for your criteria. From here it's time to see how each school measures up to your chosen criteria. There are several methods for collection this information. The first is solo research, and the second would be to look into virtual info sessions or "tours".

The research aspect of this process may be simplified by making a spreadsheet of your top criteria and recording where each school stands. Not only will this keep you organized but it will help you further narrow your focus as well as energy. By this I mean it's better to have 3 or 4 solid applications to your top schools, than 7 mediocre-at-best applications to schools you might not even want to go to.

• August - Contact your teacher/coaches for letters of recommendation. They probably won't start doing them until your back in school, however they will have a lot of students asking them for letters of rec to the point where they might have to turn students away. So write them an email, and get that checked off your list.

• September - Now that you've done all your research and know where each school measures up, it's time to create your final list of schools AND their application requirements! To help keep you organized (and from getting overwhelmed) I recommend creating some sort of personal planning system for each school to keep you on track.

• October - All online college applications are open at this point which means you can go ahead and knock them out! This will mean completing the biographical information, which is tedious but not strenuous. As well as beginning your essays, resumes, and putting in the contact info for the teachers/coaches who are going to do your letters of recommendation.

• November/December - Finishing up your applications. At this point you should have the biographical information, essays, and teacher rec info almost complete. Aside from finishing up your writing, your final tasks are to check in with your school’s guidance counselor about:

1. Sending your transcripts to schools

and

2. Sending in your SAT/ACT/AP scores.***

***Side note. The majority of colleges and universities have made test scores optional due to the pandemic. If you were able to take them and feel confident in them, send it in! However, if you don’t like your scores, feel they don’t accurately represent your abilities, or simply weren’t able to take them, that is also COMPLETELY FINE. You are in the majority if you do not send them in.

• December/January - Submit your applications! Finalizing your applications at this point may depend on outside parties submitting your letters of rec, test scores, or transcripts. But as long as you keep checking to make sure those items are received, then you're good! Congratulations!

• After Submission: From here you absolutely want to look into filling out your FAFSA. The deadline in mid-January is coming up, and having this document submitted and sent to all of the colleges you've applied to (whether or not you choose to go there) is massively important, your financial aid hinges on it.

You can also begin looking for scholarships and financial aid opportunities from your top schools. I highly recommend contacting someone from the financial aid department or an admission counselor to help you out with this process. They have lots of insider knowledge and genuinely want to help you!

• September - Time to brainstorm! The concept of applying to colleges can be massively overwhelming. Thus writing it out will help take the weight off your shoulders and simplify the process. I suggest sitting down and erasing all schools from your mind. Then in the most general way possible answer the following questions:

1. "What are the most important parts of going to college for you?"

2. "What are your deciding factors? or What factors are going to help you make your decision?"

This can be written as a list, essay, whatever! The point of this exercise to help you figure out (institutions aside) what do you really hope to get out of college? The first question is meant to be a brain dump with answers ranging from location, to weather, to nearby burger places, or academic rigor, internship programs, and financial aid.

The second question is meant to help you narrow your focus, and essentially help you rank your colleges down the road. But it's very important that both questions are answered as honestly and openly as possible.

• September/October - Contact your teachers/coaches and ask them for letters of recommendation! Even if you have no clue where you want to apply yet, all application will require letters of recommendation so I suggest you secure at least two. Also, its super easy. Just write your teachers/coaches an email and send it out! Doing this early will help keep you on track!

• October - Research time! Once you've established what you hope to get out of college and what your deciding factors are, it's time to research. I'm sure by this point you have several schools in mind, but if not try googling top schools for your criteria. From here it's time to see how each school measures up to your chosen criteria. There are several methods for collection this information. The first is solo research, and the second would be to look into virtual info sessions or "tours".

The research aspect of this process may be simplified by making a spreadsheet of your top criteria and recording where each school stands. Not only will this keep you organized but it will help you further narrow your focus as well as energy. By this I mean it's better to have 3 or 4 solid applications to your top schools, than 7 mediocre-at-best applications to schools you might not even want to go to.

• November - Now that you've done all your research and know where each of your schools measures up, it's time to create your final list of schools! To help keep you organized (and to keep you from getting overwhelmed) I recommend creating planning system based on your schools admission criteria.

• November - All online college applications are open at this point which means you can go ahead and knock them out! This will mean completing the biographical information, which is tedious but not strenuous. As well as beginning your essays, resumes, and putting in the contact info for the teachers/coaches who are going to do your letters of recommendation.

• December/January - Finishing up your Applications. At this point you should have the biographical information, essays, and teacher rec info almost complete. After this your final tasks are to check in with your school’s guidance counselor about sending your transcripts to schools as well as how to send your SAT/ACT/AP scores.*

***Side note. The majority of colleges and universities have made test scores optional due to the pandemic. If you were able to take them and feel confident in them send them in, it can’t hurt. If you don’t like your scores, feel they don’t accurately represent your abilities, or simply weren’t able to take them, that is also COMPLETELY FINE. You are in the majority if you do not send them in.

• December/January/ February - Submit your applications! Finalizing your applications at this point may depend on outside parties submitting your letters of rec, test scores, or transcripts. But as long as check to ensure all of those things are received, then you're good! Congratulations!

From here you absolutely want to look into filling out your FAFSA. The deadline in mid-January is coming up, and having this document submitted and sent to all of the colleges you've applied to (whether or not you choose to go there) is massively important, your financial aid hinges on it.

You can also begin looking for scholarships and financial aid opportunities from your top schools. I highly recommend contacting someone from the financial aid department or an admission counselor to help you out with this process. They have lots of insider knowledge and genuinely want to help you. It is quite literally their job.