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College Application Process | Staff | Resources | Suggested Timelines

These timelines are meant to be guides to follow while going through the college search process.  

Sophomore Year

September

• Meet with your high school counselor
• Inquire about the PSAT
• Get oriented with guidance office resources

October

• PSAT is given, if you decided to take it (please note: only Juniors may qualify for National Merit)

November-December

• Discuss PSAT results with parents and school counselor

January- April

• Focus on your classes and activities
• Consider summer classes at a local college
• Begin your college and career search
• Make necessary changes in course selection to improve areas of weakness
• Meet again with your counselor to discuss career and personal goals

May-June

• Take the Advanced Placement Exams if eligible
• Register for summer classes if interested
• Consider what you might do this summer. Colleges will be interested in how you spent this time.

Summer

• Spend time doing something productive. Remember, colleges want to see how you spent your time.

Junior Year

September-November

• Meet with your high school counselor
• Begin sizing up your college needs
• Read college guides and do computer searches
• Take the PSAT
• Attend college fairs

December-February

• Register for the ACT if applicable and appropriate
• Talk to parents, teachers, older friends, and your counselor about colleges
• Consider an SAT prep course and register for January, March, and/or May administration of the SAT (Remember: Boyertown serves as a site for the November and March administrations only)
• Discuss finances and the college selection process with parents
• Begin considering specific schools

March-April

• Sift through college mail
• Meet with your counselor to discuss a preliminary list of colleges
• Begin visiting colleges or plan summer visits
• Attend college fairs
• Take the SAT or ACT if scheduled
• Register for the June administration of the SAT
• Make necessary changes in course selection

May

• Settle on a working list of 8-12 colleges ranging in admission from “safe” to “difficult”
• Take SAT and AP tests if scheduled

June

• Take SAT or ACT if scheduled
• Plan summer visits to colleges and consider working or volunteering

Summer

• Go on summer visits
• Drop and add schools from your list
• Talk to friends about colleges
• Begin working on college essays
• Fill out recommendation sheets so your teachers and your counselor can write you a solid letter of recommendation
• Prepare for fall standardized tests

Senior Year

September

• Continue college visits
• Meet with your counselor
• Receive application forms from colleges
• Arrange to take the SAT or ACT in October, November, or December (Remember: Boyertown serves as a site for the November and March administrations only)
• Continue scholarship search throughout the year

October

• Continue college visits and fairs
• File early decision/action applications if applicable
• Settle on a final list of five to seven schools to apply to
• Ask teachers and counselor to write recommendations and provide them with the necessary forms
• Double-check deadlines for admission, housing, and financial aid

November

• File applications with December deadline (*before Thanksgiving holiday)
• Take SAT if scheduled

December-February

• Politely check with teachers and counselor to make sure that recommendations and transcripts have been sent
• Attend financial aid informational meetings
• Get a Free Application for Student Financial Aid (FAFSA) from the guidance office and ask parents to begin collecting tax information
• Continue to file applications
• Call admissions office to verify that your applications are complete
• File the FAFSA and Profile forms and be ready for follow-up
• Take the final SAT or ACT if applicable

March-April

• Apply for local scholarships
• Meet with your counselor
• Receive decision letters
• Scrutinize financial aid offers and call the college financial aid office if you have concerns
• If wait listed, follow-up with a letter and additional recommendations
• Schedule last-minute visits to colleges where accepted or wait listed
• Make final decision and send in deposit

May-June

• Take AP tests
• GRADUATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Give yourself a pat on the back. You did it! Now start thinking about how you are going to decorate your dorm room……………………