College planning begins in the fall of your junior year. This is the time you should start taking standardized tests like the PSAT, SAT I and the SAT II. This is also the time when you should try to make the best of the two worlds, academics and extracurricular activities, that determine whether you get into the school of your choice. If you didn't have good grades last year, bring them up. Colleges love to see improvements in your academics. If you don't do anything outside of school, get involved. Admissioin officers use your extracurriculars as the cutting edge of letting you into their college. Join a sports team, take interest in your school's clubs, volunteer in a homeless shelter or a hospital. But BEWARE: do not get involved to the point that you hurt your grades. Nothing is more important than your transcript. at the end of your junior year, get a good summer job. Consider an internship or volunteer program that will help you develop skills and introduce you to future possible career options. Try following this check-off list to get through your junior year and to start preparing for college. It is easy to print out so you can check off every task when you are done.

September:

  • Sign up for courses that are challenging, but at the same time appropriate. Be realistic: do not carry a load that you will not be able to bring all the way to June. It is always better to have ’A’s in easier courses than ‘C’s in harder ones.
  • Register for the PSAT.
  • Plan your extracurricular activities.

October:

  • Take the PSATs.
  • Attend a college fair at your school. If your school doesn’t provide one, investigate local college fairs.

November:

  • Investigate the schools that appealed to you during you college fair visit. Use the internet. If you have a chance, visit them during the school year. It is always better to see colleges in action than to visit them during the summer semester when things are very slow.
  • Talk to your family members about college. Discuss college cost and see if it will be a major issue for your family.

December:

  • Receive your PSAT results.
  • Start organizing the college information you have thus far.
  • During the Winter Break, talk to college students who are back home. Discuss their experiences and ask them questions.

January:

  • It’s time for the real standardized test crackdown. Check out the Collegeboard Online and see when the SAT I and the SAT II test dates are. Make a long-term agenda for the tests you are going to take. Also check out the Standardized Test Section of this website.
  • Register for the March SAT I online. Or, ask your guidance counselor for a mail-in form. Investigate the SAT equivalent, called the ACT. Decide if ACT will be more appropriate for you.
  • Develop a list of 15-25 colleges that interest you.
  • Plan some college visits if you haven’t already.

February:

  • Write or call colleges for brochures, course catalogues, and financial aid information.
  • Prepare for the SAT or the ACT.
  • If you planning to take any AP exams, check on when the payment is do.
  • Get organized! Develop a way to manage all the college materials that you already have.
  • Make sure you have registered for the April SAT .

March:

  • Take the SAT I.
  • After you take the SAT and have a feeling whether you will want to take it again, register for the SAT or the SAT II in May. Make sure to keep the registration deadlines. YOU MUST REGISTER 6 WEEKS BEFORE THE TEST.
  • Make an appointment with your guidance counselor to discuss your college plans. Bring the list of colleges you made in January.
  • Create a plan for visiting colleges during vacations.
  • Select school courses for your senior year.

April:

  • Meet with your guidance counselor if you haven’t already.
  • Set up college visits if you haven’t already.
  • Take the SAT.
  • Register for the June SAT IIs.
  • Continue to collect info for your college list.
  • Start thinking about you summer job. Talk to your guidance counselor or a PIC Career Specialist for opportunities.

May:

  • Register for the NCAA Clearinghouse if you are an athlete and hope to be selected. Check your guidance counselor’s office for a form.
  • Consider teachers for recommendations. Many colleges will ask for two or three of them as part of your application.
  • If you were enrolled in any AP courses, take the AP Exams.
  • Take the SAT or the SAT II, if you signed up for the May tests.

June:

  • Take the SAT IIs.
  • Make a financial aid checklist. Pay a visit to the Boston Public Library Higher Education Information Center to see the financial resources available to you.
  • Talk with your friends who are back from college for the summer about their college experiences.
  • HAVE A SAFE AND PRODUCTIVE SUMMER!

Thank you to our colleagues at Boston Latin School for generously sharing their resources from the Boston Latin School College Handbook.


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