Timetable for College Admissions - 12th Grade

            Preparation for college is a four-year job.  Each year you will have different talks which you must do in between writing papers, completing projects, studying for tests, doing your homework, participating in extracurricular activities, and working.  You won’t have too much to do during the ninth and tenth grades; however, there are important things that you must do almost every month during the eleventh and twelfth grades.
            The college planning calendar that follows will help you organize your time so that the admissions process will run smoothly for you.  The calendar lists the steps you should be taking every year.  Read through the calendar for an entire school year at the start of the year to get an overview of what you will need to do.  Then during the year check off each step as you complete it.  If a step does not apply to you, check it off. 

Twelfth grade     This is the year you must pull everything together.  You should be taking challenging courses and playing an important role in extracurricular activities at your high school.  Not only will you be busy with the demands of having a successful senior year, you will also be faced with the task of completing college applications and quite possibly the taking the ACT, SAT, SAT II, and AP examinations.

Before you look over this year’s calendar, make sure you have completed all the important steps listed on the calendars for previous years.

August-September
_____ Make sure that your course selections meet the requirements for high  school graduation and for the colleges you may wish to attend.
_____ Decide on a final list of colleges to which you will apply.  
_____ Obtain applications forms from all colleges where you will apply for admission, if you haven’t already done so.
_____ Work on college applications.
_____ Visit colleges for admissions interviews and tours.
_____ Talk to college representatives who visit Centennial.  
_____ Decide on test dates if you will be taking the ACT, SAT, or SAT II.
_____ Make plans to prepare for any tests you will be taking.
_____ Encourage your parents to attend Open House and Parent-Teacher conferences.
_____ Make sure you have written down all college application deadlines and test registration deadlines and dates.

October
_____ Complete all college applications with early deadlines.
_____Take the ACT, if necessary.  
_____ Prepare for any tests you will be taking.
_____ Attend College Night.
_____ Give forms to people who will be writing letter of recommendation for you.    
_____ Work on college applications and essays.
_____ Visit colleges for admissions interviews and tours.
_____ Investigate scholarship opportunities.
_____ If you have not already passed it, take the TCAP test.
_____ If you are interested in a college athletic scholarship, obtain an NCAA Clearinghouse form from your counselor and complete it.  

November
_____ Complete all applications.
_____ Take the SAT or SAT II, if necessary  
_____ Visit colleges for admissions   interviews and tours.

December
_____ Obtain Financial Aid Forms, if applicable.  
_____ Complete any applications that were not finished earlier.  
_____ Start preparing financial aid forms.  
_____ Visit colleges for admissions interviews and tours.
_____ Take the ACT, SAT, or SAT II, if necessary.  
_____ Prepare for semester tests because colleges are interested in your grades.  

January
_____ Make final college visits and admissions interviews.  
_____ Take the SAT and SAT II, if necessary.  
_____ Send in all your college applications.
_____ Make sure all recommendations, transcripts, and test scores have been sent to each college. 
_____ Send in financial aid forms.

February-April
_____ Make arrangements to take the ACT in February and the AP test in May, if necessary.
_____ Evaluate choices as you receive admissions decisions from colleges.
_____ If you have not already passed it, take the TCAP test in February.
_____ Visit colleges as necessary to help you make your final decision.

May
_____ Notify colleges whether you are going to accept or reject offers of admission.  
_____ Take AP tests, if appropriate.
_____ Study for semester tests.  
_____ Make sure a transcript of your final grades and proof of graduation if sent to the college you will be attending.

May-August
_____ Keep all material sent to you by the college that you will be attending.  
_____ Thank everyone who has helped you be admitted to college.