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College Application Process Calendar - Page 2

© ML Arthur

Second Semester of Junior Year, Summer between Junior and Senior Years

• Continue doing everything mentioned above!
• Take the SATs and/or the ACTs for the first time. Also take 3 SATII exams in subjects you are good at.
• Visit lots of colleges of all different types and make a list of those that you want to apply to. Try to narrow it down to between 4 and 8 to keep the costs low, and make sure that all of them are places you'd be happy going to and that at least one is a surefire admit.
• Save some papers you wrote for school that you earned high marks on. Some colleges ask you to submit them with your application.
• Write to schools or check their websites and make sure you know all there is to know about them and that you have the necessary application materials before school starts for your senior year.
• Decide if you want to apply early decision to any school. If so, the application may be due as early as October.

September-October of Senior Year

• Keep doing everything listed above! Also, if you weren't thrilled with your standardized test scores, take them over now. Make sure you are focused on doing well in challenging courses, as your grades and coursework from this semester matter the most.
• Write application essays, fill out the forms, hand out recommendation requests, and gather supplementary materials (like school essays, tapes of your athletics, newspaper clippings about significant things you've done, or portfolios of your artwork). Make sure you know what is needed for every application, including the fee.
• Decide if you will apply online or by paper.
• Submit any early decision applications.

November-December of Senior Year

• Submit your applications, with all necessary components. The deadlines might not be until March, but the earlier you get the application in, the better your chance of being admitted.
• If you are mailing applications (in the US), the best bet is Priority Mail with tracking. Don't ask your college to sign for your envelope (they find this annoying), but do ask for a tracking number so you can see if the application got there. Don't call with questions, the colleges find this even more annoying! All of this is especially important with the current postal service problems.
• Remember that many colleges consider mid-year grades in their decision to admit, so don't slack off!!
• If you need to be interviewed for your college, set up an appointment now.

Until you start college...

• While your grades in the second half of your senior year probably won't affect your college admissions, don't slack off too much. If your performance drops precipitously, colleges can and do rescind admissions decisions. Also, if you are waitlisted, strong second semester grades can be the key to getting you off the list!

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