Senior Year Planning Calendar
September
- Check your credits to make sure you’re on target to meet graduation
requirements
- Narrow your college list to a manageable number
- Plan visits to those you missed last summer
- Attend college open houses and college fairs in the area
- Plan to take or retake the ACT and SAT
- Plan to take the SAT II tests, if necessary
- Develop a list of questions to ask when you speak with college admissions
counselors
- Get a good start on your first semester grades
October
- Meet with college admissions representatives when they visit school
- Register for ACT and SAT, if necessary
- Gather applications for those colleges to which you’ll be applying
- Ask two teachers to write recommendations (if there is a form with the
applications, give it to the teachers
- Develop a "resume of activities" to include with your applications (at MHS
this is done during junior year)
- Get your "permission to release school records" form signed and returned
to Guidance
- Begin researching independent scholarship sources
- Keep your senior year grades at their best
- Order cap and gown when the opportunity is presented
- Do a financial need estimator (fafsa.ed.gov)
November
- Submit early decision/early action applications, if applicable
- Continue your visits to colleges
- Continue narrowing your list of choices
- If your college requires it, fill out the preliminary part of the CSS
Profile for financial need analysis
- Be sure your yearbook picture has reached the yearbook staff
December
- Plan to get applications mailed before winter break
- Make sure you ask the Guidance Office to prepare transcripts well ahead of
deadlines
- Continue your search for independent scholarship opportunities
- Have a serious financial talk with family and learn what your finances for
college will be
- Pick up your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) from
Guidance Office
- If you’re applying for an ROTC Scholarship, the applications are due the
first week of December
- Get ready for a strong academic finish to your first semester
January
- Begin work on the FAFSA and CSS Profile (if required) after the family’s
federal income tax return has been completed
- Check application deadlines! Allow plenty of time for Guidance Office
processing of applications
- When requested by colleges, arrange for Guidance Office to mail mid-year
reports of first semester grades
- Study hard and perform your best on semester exams
February
- Mail FAFSA by February 15 to meet most college’s deadlines
- Last minute applicants should get those applications done
- Keep those grades up!
March
- Expect to get responses from your applications…hope there are several
acceptances!
- Finish third quarter with good grades
- Confirm that you are set for graduation: credits, cap and gown, diploma
signature, etc.
April
- Make plans to re-visit those colleges who have accepted you for admission
- Check on local scholarship opportunities
- Expect to receive your "Student Aid Report" from the FAFSA analysis
- Expect to receive notice of how much aid colleges will offer you
- Phone college financial aid offices if you have questions about your aid
package
- Continue to work hard in your courses—finish what you’ve started!
May
- Most colleges want you to accept or decline their offer of admission by
May 1 by sending a non-refundable deposit
- Notify those colleges where you’ve been accepted, but have chosen not to
attend
- Take AP exams, if applicable
- Complete college residence hall applications, if not done earlier
- Enjoy the high school awards day
June
- Have a safe and fun graduation!
- Write thank you notes to teachers, counselors, secretaries, scholarship
agencies, and anyone else who helped you through the college-search process
- Register for summer orientation sessions at your new college