by Carol Chandler-Wood
The college admissions process involves many steps, and it is important for students to be aware and execute them beginning their freshman year in high school. Following is a list of many of the more important steps to take:
Freshman Year
- Meet with you school counselor to discuss your academic goals and school curriculum
- Begin to review college resources
- Begin to achieve your high school GPA
- Continue saving money for tuition
- Join clubs in which you have a shared interest
- Begin obtaining teacher recommendations
Sophomore Year
- Begin taking a foreign language
- Take the PSAT in October
- Take a career interest survey
- Take on a challenging part time job
- Volunteer for special community projects and events
- Travel if possible
- Continue your studies, achieving good grades, reviewing college resources, saving tuition, participation in clubs, and obtaining teacher recommendations
- Take SAT IIs as you successfully complete courses
Junior Year
- Take the PSAT again and analyze your score for areas of improvement needed and to possibly qualify for the National Merit Scholarship
- Consider taking a third year of foreign language
- Attend a college fair
- Find out if SAT IIs are required by the colleges to which you plan to apply
- Review and revise your list of colleges to which you are interested in applying
- Visit prospective schools in an official visit
- Set up a filing system with individual folders for each college
- Take both the ACT and SAT on one of the spring national test dates
- Look for financial aid and scholarships opportunities
- Continue the steps for the freshman and sophomore years
- Look for a summer job
Senior Year
- Continue steps included during the Junior year
- Take the SAT and ACT again if desired
- Attend college and financial fairs
- Continue college official visits and inquiries
- Schedule interview with admissions officer
- Request college applications
- Complete financial aid and scholarship applications
- Pay special attention to details and deadlines and create a checklist of such
- Obtain additional recommendations from teachers, counselors and others
- Draft your essay early so it does not hold up your application submission
- Fight off Senioritis and maintain high grades
- Take Advanced Placement exams
- Request final transcripts to be sent to colleges
