Month-to-Month Activity Calendar JUNIORS & SENIORS June-September o Research colleges through websites and gather applications, view books, financial information o Start/continue visiting colleges of interest o Make a list of future options: safety schools, top choice schools, and far reach schools o Check colleges you plan to apply to do they require the SAT 2/Subject Tests? The ACT? Register as needed. o Make an appointment with your School Counselor to check credits for graduation and discuss your educational and career plans. o Juniors sign-up in Guidance for the Oct. 14 PSAT/NMSQT Post this on your fridge or study wall at home. Check it often and use it as a checklist! o If you have been involved in many high school extra-curricular activities, make a resume of these activities honors, awards, sports participation, student government involvement, band, chorus, school clubs, outside organization memberships, offices held, community service contributions, etc. o Attend NEACAC College Fair at UVM or Saint Michael s College in early September o Seniors register for the Nov. 7 SAT (or SAT 2) in Randolph before Oct. 9 (www.collegeboard.org) use school code: 460040 o Start studying for the SAT or ACT using free resources like Kahn Academy on https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/practice, www.learningexpressadvantage.com sign in as a new user, use ID: 10254; My College Quickstart through your PSAT score report; www.march2success.com register and do NOT have to contacted by a recruiter o Register for the December 12 ACT before Nov. 6 (www.actstudent.org) o Maintain solid grades in coursework as colleges look at ALL grades achieved o Meet with your school counselor to make sure all classes needed to graduate are being taken and to discuss colleges, scholarships, and the application process o Women can sign up for Women Can Do Conference at VTC or Career Challenge Day at RTCC in October o Listen to announcements for dates to meet with college representatives who visit WHS continue this throughout the fall. o If undecided or unsure about possible career choices or majors, ask your School Counselor about taking an interest inventory. There is great information on www.vsac.org under the Explore Careers tab including Start Where You Are which includes an interactive website and videos and VSAC Roadmaps. Also check out bigfuture.org. o Save the Date Wed. Oct. 28 th Paying For College presentation by VSAC in the high school library. October o Narrow list of future college options to 5-7 schools (don t rule out a college because it s too expensive some of the most expensive schools are well endowed and have great scholarship/grant money) o Ask teachers who have seen your best work to write letters of recommendation for you. Allow them at least two weeks to write them. Your School Counselor has a request form that you can attach to your resume! Be sure to write thank you notes to all teachers and community members who write letters for you. o Make a calendar with college application and scholarship deadlines o If applying to UVM, submit a Common Application online before Nov. 1 to waive application fee o Juniors take the PSAT/NMSQT on the 14 th at the Bethel Town Hall. o Check in with your School Counselor to discuss future plan ideas: 2-yr college, 4-yr college, trade school, technical training, military, employment
o Seniors register to take the SAT/SAT2/ACT with writing so your scores are tabulated for early applications (by Oct. 9 for SAT/SAT2 Subject Tests and Nov. 6 for ACT with writing(www.actstudent.org) o Check announcements, the guidance bulletin board, the guidance website, and the Student Scholarship File for information on colleges and scholarships o Go online with Fast Web scholarship search for no charge! o Schedule college interviews and auditions Personal communications will strengthen your application! o Some Early Decision/Early Notification or Early Action applications due. (Be cautious of Early Decision, it means you have decided to attend if you are accepted). o Check financial and application deadlines determine if any of your schools require the CSS Profile. o Parents and students attend the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation s (VSAC s) Paying for College night at Whitcomb High School on the 28 th at 6:30pm in the library VSAC 1-800-642-3177. It is the student s responsibility to meet college and financial application deadlines and to take required tests. November o Register for December 5 th / SAT/SAT2/ or 12 th ACT with Writing before Nov. 5 for SAT & Nov. 6 for ACT last test date for seniors to assure most colleges receive scores before making admission decisions. o Begin application process at schools of your choice. o If you are applying early admission, get your application materials in on time! Most Early Action/Decision applications are due November 1, or 15. o Juniors & Seniors sign up with Mrs. LaMothe to take the Accuplacer Exam Dec. 1 st it is a placement test so you can sign up and take a VT College course in December classes start in January. o Contact your School Counselor to see if a school you re interested in is visiting Whitcomb o Seniors fine tune admission essays with an English teacher or your counselor before submitting them o Allow your School Counselor at least five (5) working days to process your application and transcript requests. It is your responsibility to plan ahead, keeping in mind college application deadlines. o Photocopy/print all college and scholarship applications and all financial aid information before mailing/submitting. o Check private colleges financial aid deadlines and which ones require CSS Profile. For schools which require CSS Profile, file it. o Athletes complete NCAA paperwork if you plan to play sports and/or receive scholarships at Division I or II colleges. o Look into taking Spring College Courses at VTC or Dartmouth! Course listings should be posted online. December o PSAT/NMSQT results are in and discussed with students o Seniors meet with your School Counselor to finish up college applications continue work over winter break (If possible, complete applications for regular admission before winter break.) o Application deadline for some medical programs (nursing, dental hygiene, physical therapy, etc) o Some schools have a January 1 application deadline, Applications due January 1 must be in the Guidance Office five (5) working days before the start of winter break by December 16 th. o Register for January 23 rd SAT/SAT2/ and Feb. 6 th ACT with Writing before Dec. 28 th for SAT and before Jan. 8 th for ACT (Juniors may take this test but May test is recommended gives more time to study PSAT results on My College Quickstart and location is in Randolph) o Consider signing up to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). It is a free test of vocational interest and abilities. Students not planning to enter the Armed Services can also get valuable interest and ability information from the ASVAB with no obligation. Along with testing math and English,
it also looks at mechanical, spatial, electronics, and other abilities. If you plan to enter the Armed Services, you should take this test. o Seniors Go online to create a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) studentaid.gov/fsaid one for your and one for a parent filing your FAFSA (federal application for financial aid FREE Application for Federal Student Aid) January o Financial aid process begins FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) go to www.fafsa.ed.gov/ starting Jan. 1 st. Complete your tax forms as early as possible. If necessary, use estimated figures on the FAFSA and update as soon as possible with the accurate figures. o VSAC Forms Day is the 28 th Get 1 to 1 support completing your FAFSA & VT Grant Application on the school s computers by appointment- 8am-8pm times are available. o Check with colleges to see if they require additional financial aid information/forms (CSS Profile, institutional financial aid forms, etc.). o Complete Vermont Grant Application online at www.vsac.org before March 1. o Any remaining college applications should be completed and sent in. Don t wait until the last minute as early applications may have an edge, especially when applying to schools with rolling admissions. o Second semester schedule changes for half-year courses o Alumni Panel for Juniors and Seniors to learn about how past WHS students are surviving college o Juniors refine their resumes and create a professional email address for use with colleges o Seniors look for decisions from early admission schools o UVM Regular application deadline is January 15. o Applications with January 15 deadlines are due in the Guidance Office no later than January 8. o Check Scholarship File in the Guidance Office and on the Guidance tab of the school website weekly. o See Mrs. LaMothe for the VSAC Scholarship Booklet this resource allows you to apply for many scholarships with one application. All required forms for these awards are due usually the first days of March and late applications are NOT accepted. Early bird submissions by Feb. 1 are eligible for additional scholarship drawings. February o Juniors should plan to take an SAT or ACT in May (can test locally in Randolph!) or June o Subject tests or SAT2 s are required for entrance into more competitive colleges many of these schools will accept ACT with Writing instead of SAT2 s be sure to check EACH of your intended colleges and take the subject tests soon after finishing studying a particular subject at Whitcomb o Register for March 5 th SAT/(Subject Tests not offered in March) and April 9 th ACT with Writing before Feb. 5 th for SAT and before March 4 th for ACT o Juniors meet with your School Counselor to discuss college and career ideas o Meet with your School Counselor for information about job interviews and coaching in job interview skills. Ask about your rights during the job interview and on the job. o Financial aid process continues o Continue working on VSAC Scholarship Booklet o Check that your mid-year grades have been sent to colleges. o Be aware of financial aid deadlines continue to check Scholarship File, the announcements, and your personal email. o Last application deadline for most colleges (usually Feb 1 st or 15 th ) o Plan college campus visits to narrow your potential college list for over February break March o Register with Mrs. LaMothe for Advance Placement (AP) exams, if applicable. o Juniors register for May 7 th SAT/SAT2 before April. 8 th for SAT (Can take it locally in Randolph!)
o Look online/in email for FAFSA acknowledgement that they have received your information; update information. o Juniors should review 4-year plans to take a balanced and challenging course load for Senior year o Meet with your School Counselor for help with summer planning (work, internships, volunteering, etc) o Visit any colleges applied to before making final decisions on where to attend o Juniors complete and submit RTCC application to Guidance before March 4 th o Even if you think you won t further your education after high school or if you plan to further your education after working for a year or two, consider taking the SAT or ACT this year. You will probably do better on it now than after being out of school for awhile and the score is usable for five years good to keep your options open! o Take the Accuplacer through VTC or CCV this placement test will help you find the right level of challenge in college-level courses to take through dual enrollment DURING high school. April o Class registration for next school year o Seniors work on electronic Local Scholarship Application packet from Guidance in your student folder It is due with supporting paperwork, by May 2 nd. o Collect acceptance notifications and financial aid awards from colleges check your email as some are issued electronically and NOT in the mail. o Compare financial aid awards from different schools. o If possible, visit or revisit colleges to be sure of your decision. o Mail a written acceptance and deposit to your top choice college before May 1 (National Candidate Reply Date) to reserve your space It is possible to defer or waive your deposit if it is a financial burden on your family see your School Counselor for assistance o Respond to financial aid and scholarship offers o Juniors plan to take SAT in May or June, registration deadlines are April 8 and May 5. o Juniors plan campus visits to narrow your potential college list over April vacation o Juniors register for VTC, Dartmouth, UVM, CCV, or online enrichment courses for next academic year o Update your resume for summer jobs, further scholarship applications, and save it on a thumb drive (not on the school network) so it is yours to modify as you have new experiences to add. o Look into and apply for summer employment, internships, and volunteering in career interest areas. o Interested in science/conservation or working outdoors? Check out the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps at www.vycc.org and apply for great summer jobs (high school & college!) Interested in the medical field, check out Medquest where you get experience working in medical settings for a 2-week specialized summer program. The Governor s Institutes of Vermont have a variety of great summer programs that are hosted on college campuses check them out at www.giv.org May o Seniors sign up for new student orientation at future college o Request that final high school transcript be mailed to your college o If you must borrow through loans to finance college, check with VSAC they usually have the best rates. o Write polite letters of refusal to colleges who accepted you but that you have decided not to attend. Many have waiting lists of students who would like the spot being held for you. o Take AP Exams, if applicable. o Notify your School Counselor and VSAC of your final college choice and scholarship awards. o Firm up a summer job. o College not for you right out of Whitcomb? o Check out Job Corps a free, housing-included vocational training program
o Take a year off (Gap Year) to travel and work or volunteer for Teach for America or Peace Corps, etc. June o Study over time for final exams to commit the information to memory and get the best outcomes! o Seniors Graduate on June 10 th o Start summer employment, internships, and volunteering in career interest areas. Earn and save this money for college o Meet with your college advisor to plan for first year in college o Juniors make requests for colleges to visit Whitcomb in the fall. o Juniors visit college campuses over the summer to get a feel for the learning environment that will work the best for you! By 2020, 65 percent of all jobs in the economy will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school.