Junior Year College Planning Timeline

Transcription

1 Junior Year College Planning Timeline August o Continue talking with parents about their expectations, your desires, financial considerations, etc. o Brush up for the October PSAT/NMSQT (the qualifying exam for National Merit scholarships) September o The College Counseling Office updates the Parker website regularly throughout the year to keep you up to date and organized. Make a habit of checking it regularly! o Register for November SAT Subject Test(s): Language with Listening test, if you are comfortably into level IV of your language with a good ear. This is the only date the listening option is offered. o Check to see which college representatives will be visiting PARKER and plan to meet them at the information sessions. Many times, the representative who visits PARKER is the person who does the initial reading of our applications, so it is a good idea to make personal contact. Be sure to request your teacher s permission in advance, if you will be missing a class. October o All juniors will sit for the PSAT/NMSQT. Scores junior year are used to identify students for the National Merit and National Achievement Programs. PSAT scores never appear on your PARKER transcript and are not visible to college admissions. o Visit nearby colleges to begin to see whether you prefer large or small, public or private, urban, suburban, or rural colleges. o Maintain excellent grades. Performance across the curriculum and in any honors-level or AP courses you take is the best indication of how well you might manage and achieve in college. o Continue to pursue co-curricular activities about which you are passionate. November o November is the only chance all school year for students to sit for a foreign Language with Listening SAT Subject Test, which may be appropriate for an accelerated language student. o Think about working a couple of college visits into your Thanksgiving holiday plan. December o Keep up your grades; honor your commitment to activities and community service. o PSAT/NMSQT scores are received at Parker mid-december and mailed home.

2 o Register for appropriate spring tests: SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject Tests, and/or the ACT Plus Writing. At a minimum, all students should plan to take the SAT Reasoning and/or the ACT Plus Writing prior to the end of junior year. Students completing courses for which SAT Subject Tests are offered and those considering the most highly selective colleges should browse potential colleges testing requirements; Subject Tests are no longer required by the UC! It is the student s responsibility to register for all standardized testing: or Each SAT Subject Test is an hour long, so students can register for up to three on any test date but March. o Be familiar with the standardized tests you will take. However, don't spend so much time preparing for these tests that your academic courses and co-curricular commitments suffer. Your transcript will lead the review of any college application you file.

3 January o Make plans to visit a couple of college campuses as time allows during Interim in February. o Those who prefer the ACT should register to take it (Plus Writing) in February, April, or June at (where you will find all dates and deadlines). February o Complete the Junior Questionnaire introduced at College Night on Naviance, and o Sign up for an appointment with your College Counselor to begin an ongoing discussion of emerging priorities and preferences (also shared in your questionnaire) in the context of your transcript grades, program and preliminary test scores. These conversations help us counsel the list development that will guide your research. o Attend optional Junior Workshops at lunch, explaining the Common Application, the essay, interviews, the process of requesting faculty recommendations in springtime. o Registration deadline for the March SAT Reasoning. Juniors should review their springtime schedule, including AP and/or final exams and cocurricular commitments to decide which test(s) to take when; then, register in a timely fashion for the ACT or for the SAT (each of which lists test dates and registration deadlines). Your College Counselor is happy to guide your individual testing plan. o The ACT Plus Writing is offered this month. o Make sure the colleges you are considering meet your needs and interests, are ones you would happily attend, and include at least two colleges, where you like to picture yourself and to which you are likely to be admitted. o Discuss the suggested colleges with your parents, college counselor. March o Browse college web sites and request admission, financial aid information for all of the colleges that interest you. There is no charge, no obligation, so no harm in getting on their radar screens as you absorb the information and continue to research. o Plan for an enriching summer. Consider experiences that might give direction to your future get a job, volunteer in the community, or sign-up for a college course and/or a program that appeals to your interests and feeds your curiosity. o Visit colleges over spring vacation. Arrange in advance to take a tour, sit for an info session, meet with professors, coaches, an art director or voice coach; see if the school offers the option to interview. Write thank you notes to those you meet. o Potential Division I/II college athletes should make contact with college coaches and, in some cases, prepare tapes to send to interested coaches.

4 . Bring your questions to your PARKER coach, your club coach, and your college counselor. o SAT Reasoning (no Subject Tests) is offered this month. o March is the registration deadline for the May SAT Reasoning or Subject Tests and a smart time for juniors to look ahead to testing dates in April (ACT only), May, and June to plot a testing course and register/reserve a seat. Remember, these are popular testing dates, so register early to secure your first-choice test center. o Each junior should schedule a family meeting for him/herself and parent(s) with the College Counselor. April o Work a couple of campus visits into spring break, as most schools will be in session. o The ACT Plus Writing is offered this month. o Registration deadline for the June SAT Reasoning and Subject Test(s). o Plan to attend the WACAC College Fair and the Coastline Case Studies Program.

5 May o Review Trimester II comments and grades; speak with your teachers if you are unsure about any recommendations for senior year courses. o Schedule a meeting with your college counselor to review your course selections for senior year, challenging yourself as appropriate in the PARKER curriculum and maintaining all five core subjects throughout your high school career. o Make sure you meet a couple, few times with your college counselor, even if these are quick meetings. Before you know it, exams will be upon you, leaving no time to touch base before you head to summer. o SAT Reasoning and Subject Test(s) are offered this month, again next month. June o Most juniors looking at schools that require or recommend SAT Subject Tests (and a vast majority of schools do not, including the UCs beginning with your class!) take them in June. Other students elect to sit for the SAT Reasoning Test (all first Saturday of June) or for the ACT Plus Writing (second Saturday of June). o Request transcripts from summer programs if you plan to apply to or attend any. July & August o Continue to gather information from a variety of sources, research in greater depth your colleges, and request catalogs, visit colleges and interview, if possible. o Begin the application process: Read and follow all instructions carefully; complete the general information on the application; write drafts of required essays; make a list of your co-curricular activities and volunteer and work experiences; collect writing samples and prepare portfolios and audition tapes, if appropriate.