A new year often brings with it a chance to review and renew plans and aspirations and to take action on important items and goals.
January is a good time to solidify college planning goals and to start taking action on steps toward the goals you have for seeing your student off to college.
It may seem like a long way off, but the next year and a half likely will be a blur!
Junior year is important for admissions applications, so keep your high school Junior’s focus on their studies and activities.
Here are some steps you can add to your checklist and start completing now:
January-March
- Register for Spring SAT and/or ACT exams. Consider the SAT Subject Test.
- Make a list of important criteria for which college you will attend: do you want a large university? A small community? What majors interest you? What sports and activities? Are there unique services you need? Will the school have these? What is the Cost of Attendance? And so on.
- Make your college list and find out when they have Spring tours- begin visiting schools on your list. Start with the closer schools.
- Do some online research on your school list and see if they measure up to your criteria and find out all you can and make lists of comparisons, including price!
April-May
- Finish your year well! Keep your grades up- schools will be requesting your junior transcripts for college applications.
- Consider adding activities to your schedule if you are not involved in many.
- Continue to visit colleges. Many Open Houses are in Spring. Make any travel plans ahead of time, if needed. Make a list of questions to ask beforehand.
- Read some college applications so it is not all new to you in Fall.
- Make a list of potential people you may want to ask for letters of recommendation. Teachers, employers, counselors, etc.
- Explore summer opportunities for work and include college campuses if you are near one.
For more information on checklists for Summer, Fall and Senior Year, please see previous articles:
- College Planning in the Summer: A Focus for High School Seniors
- Seniors: Financial Aid & Admissions Checklist + Tips for College Applications
-DC