Before and After 8th Grade
8th Grade Year
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year: Fall - August through December
Junior Year: Spring - January through May
Summer after Junior Year
Senior Year: Fall - August through December
Senior Year: Spring - January through May
- Seek the direction of Jesus Christ in your life's pursuits, including whether or not to go to college and, if so, to which one.
- Read excellent and challenging literature, and high-level magazines like National Review, First Things, and Salvo.
- Memorize Scripture and other material.
- Understand mathematical concepts, not just how to 'get the right answer' through calculations
- Study what interests you.
- Play the piano or other instrument.
- Specialize in a sport.
- Volunteer regularly somewhere.
- Start your own business.
8th Grade Year
- Talk to friends and family about careers and possible school choices.
- Consult with school counselors to find out which courses to take to qualify for certain colleges and enter various career fields.
- Learn how your parents might assist in paying for your education. Establish a savings plan in which you can participate.
- Learn about financial aid from a counselor or accountant.
- Apply for a Social Security Number, if you do not already have one.
Freshman Year
- Build a flexible schedule allowing for study time and extracurricular activities. Use a daytimer or electronic organizer.
- Limit extracurricular activities to your top few genuine interests and be committed to them.
- Make a four-year schedule of classes that increases your eligibility to attend the college of your choice.
- Start developing a resume by keeping a scrapbook of your accomplishments, including articles about yourself, awards that you have won, and activities in which you have participated.
- Talk with your parents and academic counselors about your interests, post-secondary possibilities, and career information.
Sophomore Year
- Explore college catalogs, websites, and other materials including financial aid information.
- Re-evaluate your high school course selection ensure it meets college requirements.
- Complete most of your academic requirements by your junior year.
- Take the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) and/or the PLAN (Preliminary ACT) in October to prepare you for college entrance exams. The PSAT may qualify you for certain scholarships.
- Take interest inventories to discover which career(s) might be a match for you.
- If pursuing athletics, assess NCAA requirements.
Junior Year: Fall - August through December
- Take the PSAT in October to practice taking entrance exams and to establish eligibility for some scholarships.
- Attend sessions with college representatives who visit your high school. You may find it helpful to visit local college fairs.
- Develop a list of possible post-secondary schools. Your counseling office and/or school library may have books and materials to help you. Send off for admissions literature and applications from the schools that are on the top of your list.
- Talk with an admissions representative to determine if there are any institutional scholarships for which you could apply.
- Begin researching private sources of financial aid such as scholarships and write for applications. Request financial aid bulletins from all potential schools. Estimate the costs for each school and begin identifying ways to meet them.
Junior Year: Spring - January through May
- Take the SAT/ACT. Check with your intended college(s) about which test they prefer. Begin narrowing your college choices.
- Schedule campus visits. Consider overnight trips to get a better understanding of what life is like on particular campuses.
- Check with school counselors, libraries, community organizations, and Student Outreach Services for the names scholarship sources. Send for applications. Keep records of anyone you speak with concerning grants or scholarships.
- Start developing portfolios, audition tapes, writing samples, or other evidence of talents required for college admission and scholarships.
- If you plan to play sports in college, write to college coaches at your target schools. Include a schedule of your athletic events for the upcoming year. Register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Develop a resume of your sports accomplishments including a highlight tape and relevant articles about your successes.
Summer after Junior Year
- Practice writing online applications, filling out rough drafts, without submitting them.
- Review applications, especially the essays. Ask others to proof the essay for any grammar, content or punctuation errors.
- Read all college mail and send reply cards back to schools of interest.
- Apply for those scholarships whose deadlines are in the fall.
Senior Year: Fall - August through December
- Continue to meet high school graduation and college admission requirements.
- Organize and record relevant dates on a calendar to plan your year efficiently.
- Register for the Advanced Placement (AP) tests.
- Make copies of your admissions and financial aid forms. Practice filling them out before doing the final one.
- Meet with visiting admissions representatives from the schools that interest you.
- Arrange visits to schools you are considering and schedule admissions interviews if required.
- Make the final preparation of your portfolios, audition tapes, writing samples, or other evidence of talent required for admission and scholarships. Finalize your resume to send with your applications.
- Submit your college admissions applications. Watch carefully for deadlines.
- Talk with your parents about what type budget you will be on your freshman year.
- Retake the ACT or SAT, if needed.
- Keep records of everything you submit.
- Identify at least two of the following to write solid recommendations for you: teacher, extracurricular adviser, counselor, principal, or employer. Give the recommendation forms to them at least one month before they are due. Follow up on the progress of these recommendations.
- If seeking athletic scholarships, contact the coaches from the schools you are considering and include a resume of your accomplishments.
Senior Year: Spring - January through May
- Apply for financial aid by completing and submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov as soon after January 1 as possible.
- Call your chosen schools and confirm that they received your admissions applications, including letters of recommendation.
- Have a copy of your high school transcript sent to the colleges to which you applied. Be sure your first semester senior year grades are included in the transcript.
- The information you receive back after the FAFSA is processed is the Student Aid Report (SAR). If any portion of the information on the SAR is incorrect, correct and resubmit it to the processing center.
- Submit any additional financial aid forms and documentation required by the schools of your choice. Some of these forms may be available online, including the FAFSA and some admission applications.
- Submit your final transcript.
- Notify the schools in writing by the proper deadline as to whether you are accepting or declining admission.
- Review your financial aid award letter to understand the terms and conditions that accompany each kind of aid. Sign your financial aid award letter and return it to the school.
- Notify the financial aid office of any outside scholarships or grants that you have accepted since your initial application.
- Be aware of due dates for tuition, fees, room and board, and other expenses. Find out how your financial aid will be disbursed and whether you can defer payments until the funds are available.
- Respond immediately to all correspondence regarding scholarships and financial aid.
- Participate in summer orientation programs for incoming freshman after graduation.
- Meet all class registration deadlines.