College Preparation Timeline
9th Grade
- Meet with your guidance counselor and tell him or her that you want to attend college.
- Together develop a plan that will put you on the college track. Anticipate that you will have to go beyond the minimum requirements to graduate high school.
- Take the most challenging course-load such as Advanced or Honors courses.
- Establish a strong GPA.
- Get involved in school and community organizations.
10th Grade
- Continue taking challenging classes.
- Maintain a strong GPA or improve on the one you established in 9th Grade!
- Continue with school involvement.
- Try to attend a summer college preparatory program (check with your guidance counselor for other opportunities).
11th Grade
- Maintain GPA or improve on the one you established in 10th Grade!
- Take college preparatory classes (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Dual Enrollment etc.).
- Take the PSAT in the fall to qualify for National Merit Scholarships and identify strengths and weaknesses before taking the SAT.
- Begin studying for the SAT/ACT, do practice tests online and take an SAT/ACT prep course.
- Begin college search process:
- Think about what type of college you would want to attend.
- Size: small (<5,000 students), medium (5,000-15,000 students), large (15,000-30,000) and extra large (>30,000).
- Setting: climate, geographic region, proximity from home, etc.
- Type of school: liberal arts, technical, private, public, HBCU (historically black college or university)
- Programs of study offered: Business, Pre-Med, Pre-Law, Engineering, Education, etc.
- Extracurricular activities: internships, study abroad, clubs and organizations
- Fit: Do you feel comfortable on the campus? Can you see yourself spending four years there? (These questions can only really be answered by visiting a college campus!)
- Research schools online, at the library, at your school’s college counseling office and local college fairs.
- Narrow your choices down to 5-10 colleges.
- Think about what type of college you would want to attend.
- Visit as many college campuses on your list as you can! Try to schedule a visit at a time when school is in session and students are around. Ask the same questions at each college you visit. Take notes and pictures. Visit options include:
- Information session and campus tour
- Overnight program
- Interview
- Open House or Preview Weekend
- Visit a friend
- Take the SAT/ACT in the spring.
- Step up to leadership positions in your extracurricular activities.
- Try to attend a summer college preparatory program.
- Research and begin to apply for scholarships. Look locally first; although local scholarships may not award as much money as national scholarships they are much less competitive. Every little bit helps. Check out the following resources:
- Guidance counselor
- Religious or civic organizations
- Your parents' employer
- Newspaper
- Internet
12th Grade
- Maintain strong GPA. Colleges will see your midyear and final grades.
- Continue taking challenging courses i.e. math, science, foreign language, etc, at the college prep level. Your senior year should be your most challenging.
- Take the SAT/ACT again in the fall to improve your scores.
- Continue college visits.
- Narrow your choices to 3-5 schools.
- Compile applications for each school; check deadlines and application costs. For William & Mary, the Common Application and the Coalition Application go live on August 1 to apply for Early Decision (due November 1), Early Decision II (due January 1) or Regular Decision (due January 1).
- Obtain 2-3 letters of recommendation from your counselor, teacher(s), coach, etc. As a courtesy make your requests a month in advance.
- Write your application essays with care and have them critiqued by others; they are your on-paper interview.
- Submit your applications by December so that your holiday break can be stress free.
- Continue applying for scholarships.
- Have your parents submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in January.
- Relax and enjoy your senior year!