Junior Timeline

College Search Timeline

JUNIOR YEAR

 

• Focus on your studies; the first set of grades a college looks at are your junior grades.  Please do your best!!
• Juniors will meet with past graduates for our annual Alumni Day, held before Christmas vacation.
• Register for and take the PSAT/NMSQT in October to practice taking entrance exams and to establish eligibility for some scholarships.
• Attend sessions with college representatives who visit our Counseling Office in September, October and November. You may find it helpful to visit local college fairs as well. 
• Use Navaince to develop a list of possible post-secondary schools.The counseling office has books and materials to help you. Request admissions literature and applications from the schools that are on the top of your list.
• Juniors and their parents are encouraged to attend the Financial Aid Night in the fall held in the High School Auditorium.     
• Talk with an admissions representative to determine if there are any institutional scholarships for which you could apply.
• Begin researching private sources of financial aid such as scholarships and review applications.
• Request financial aid bulletins or emails from all potential schools. Estimate the costs for each school and begin identifying ways to meet them.

• When scheduled, take the SAT/ACT Preparation Course.
• Juniors are their parents are encouraged to attend College Information Night in February.
• In February, counselors will be in junior English classes addressing post-secondary planning.
• During Febuary and/or April break, schedule an official campus visit. Consider an overnight trip that would allow for you to get a feel for what life is like on that particular campus.
• Check with your counselor, libraries, and community organizations for the names of possible scholarship sources. Gather applications and review online applications as soon as possible. Keep records of anyone you speak with concerning grants or scholarships.
• Start developing portfolios, audition tapes, writing samples, or other evidence of talents required for college admission and/or for scholarships.
• Contact college coaches at your target schools if you plan to play sports in college. Give them a schedule of your athletic events for the upcoming year. Register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Develop a resume of your sports accomplishments including a highlight tape and relevant articles about your successes.

• Practice writing online applications, filling out rough drafts, without submitting them.
• Review applications, especially the essays. Ask others to proof the essay for any grammar, content, or punctuation errors.
• Read all college mail and send reply cards back to schools of interest. Do some research. Check out College Results Online (CRO) is an interactive,
   user-friendly Web tool designed to provide information about college graduation rates for nearly any four-year college or university in the country. http://www.collegeresults.org/
• Apply for those scholarships whose deadlines are in the fall. You may be too busy once school starts.