Senior Year Planning
Students should reference this calendar for monthly tasks to be completed during their senior year of high school. For more information, visit the
Mapping Your Future website.
October
- Take the SAT and/or ACT.
- Continue working on your admissions essays.
- If you haven't already done so, attend college planning and/or financial aid information nights and college fairs.
- Visit your top school choices. If possible, make appointments with faculty, staff, and students.
- Complete applications for every scholarship for which you may be eligible.
- Meet with your guidance counselor to develop a college admission and financial aid application plan.
- You will need a FSA ID. Go to: FSA ID, to apply for your FSA ID online.(Also let your parents know that they will need a FSA ID.)
- File your FAFSA as soon after October 1 as possible.
- Contact the schools' financial aid offices to determine which forms they require. Some schools may require special forms.
- Finalize portfolios, audition tapes, writing samples, or other evidence of talent if required for admission.
November
- Complete admissions applications by their deadlines.
- If you haven't already done so, attend college planning and/or financial aid information nights and college fairs.
- If necessary, register to retake the SAT and/or ACT.
- Request financial aid forms and applications. Double check the deadlines for submission.
- Follow up to ensure your employers, teachers, and guidance counselors send letters of recommendation.
- Stay focused on maintaining and increasing your GPA.
December
January
- Complete your FAFSA online . Keep copies of all documents, including your FSA ID, in a file.
- If you can't attend financial aid nights, ask if you and your parents can borrow a video of an event from your counselor.
- Contact the U.S. Department of Education at 800-4-FEDAID for assistance completing the FAFSA and/or plan to attend a FAFSA preparation event (free FAFSA advice) near you.
February
- Be mindful of deadlines.Always submit information on time.
- Research Advanced Placement (AP) or College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams.
- Watch for the e-mail notice indicating your Student Aid Report (SAR) is ready.
- Review your SAR for errors and make any corrections as indicated.
- Rank your top school choices.
- Attend a FAFSA preparation event.
March
- Check with the financial aid offices to ensure your paperwork is complete. Submit tax forms if they request them.
- Narrow your school choices and make campus visits.
- Be on the lookout for acceptance letters.
- Start looking for summer jobs.
April
- Compare financial aid award letters.
- Make your final school decision and mail deposits, as required.
- Check with the school you've chosen about returning financial aid award letters.
- Notify the schools you have chosen NOT to attend.
- Plan for registration, orientation, and housing, and mark your calendar with important dates.
May
- Be aware of any summer orientation sessions that you must attend at the school in which you will enroll, and make plans accordingly.
- Finalize your summer job plans, and make a plan for saving a portion of your summer earnings.
- Prepare a realistic student budget.
- Follow up with your high school to ensure the counselor forwards your final school transcripts to the college.
