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College Planning
Checklist
Checklist for freshmen and sophomores:
- Begin your high school career
by working with your high school guidance counselor. You and your
counselor need to select the curriculum which will adequately
prepare you to enter your choice of post-secondary institutions.
- Take solid courses all through your
high school years.
- Prepare your resume. Besides employment,
resumes also include responsibilities and accomplishments.
- Request information about pre-college
programs.
- Apply to summer college experience
programs.
- Obtain letters of recommendation
from employers and teachers
- Begin applying for scholarships.
- Sign up for the PSAT/NMSQT.
Checklist for juniors:
FALL:
- Meet with your high school counselor
to make sure you're taking the proper college prep classes.
- All juniors are required to take
the ACT through the CSAP testing in Colorado.
- Attend college fairs.
- Search college websites.
- While attending college fairs, complete
colleges' contact cards to be on mailing lists.
- Visit colleges in the same state.
SPRING:
- Begin searching for scholarships.
- Visit colleges during your spring
break.
- Look into pre-college summer programs.
- Begin to narrow your college choices.
- Keep a calendar of deadlines for
admissions and scholarships.
Checklist for seniors:
AUGUST:
- Meet with your high school
counselor to ensure that you are on track for graduation. After
you meet with your counselor, ask yourself these questions:
- Am I meeting the admission
requirements for the colleges/universities in which I am most
interested?
- Are my college entrance
exam scores adequate for admission? If not, register yourself
for the ACT or SAT tests scheduled for October.
- Have I visited at least
one college campus?
- Do I know about financial
aid?
SEPTEMBER
Meet with your guidance counselor
to discuss colleges you are considering and review admission requirements
for them.
OCTOBER:
- Take ACT or SAT college entrance
tests again.
- If you have not yet narrowed your
choice of colleges, now is the time to do so.
- There is usually a fee associated
with the admission application for each school and applying to
more than three or four can be very expensive.
- Go to in-state and out-of-state
college fairs at the local high schools in your area.
NOVEMBER:
- Apply for admission. Keep
a list of all colleges to which you apply. It will help you to
keep track of all of the information you will be receiving from
the various institutions. Talk to your counselor about waivers
for application fees.
- Make sure that the application
you send to each institution is complete and includes the necessary
fees as well as an official high school transcript, copies of
all of your college entrance exam scores and a personal statement.
- Begin submitting applications
for educational scholarships. Meet all deadlines outlined
in the scholarship application and submit all materials that are
requested as part of the application (i.e., personal statement/essay,
ACT/SAT scores, etc.).
DECEMBER:
- READ YOUR MAIL
- Watch the mail for admission decisions
or requests for additional information. Replying to requests for
additional information promptly will speed up the admissions process.
JANUARY:
Apply for Financial Aid using the
Free Application
For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can obtain an application
for federal financial aid from the guidance office at your high
school, local library or any college financial aid office. Be
sure to check to see if the schools to which you are applying
requires a specific financial aid application. Continue watching
the mail for admissions decisions.
FEBRUARY - APRIL:
- Consider offers of admission. You
should have offers from each of the institutions to which you
applied by mid April. If you have listed your schools in order
of preference, and you have a positive response from the school
that is your first choice, you can now "confirm" your
intent to attend that institution. If you are still undecided,
you should make arrangements to visit your top choices once more.
- If you are still undecided about
which college to attend, you should make arrangements to visit
your top choices once more.
MAY:
- You must confirm your intent to
attend a college by May 1 and submit your admission deposit as
soon as possible. You may have received a financial aid award
letter from each of your choice institutions by this time. With
this information, and the information you already have regarding
your schools, you need to make a final decision as to where you
will continue your education.
- Inform your guidance counselor and
college records office of your choice and request your final high
school records and certification of graduation be sent to your
college/university. Keep your eyes on the mail for information
about housing and orientation schedules. Be careful, once again,
to meet all deadlines set down by the institution for submitting
required materials.
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CESDA
Colorado Educational Services & Development Association
P.O. Box 40214 Denver, CO 80204
Email Address:
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