The following four-year plan was designed for students who will be seeking out admission at some of the more competitive colleges. It should be adjusted according to your specific plans and the selectivity of your potential college of choice.

Throughout all four years you must:

• Read as much as possible (every genre imaginable)
• Take the hardest core courses in which you can excel
• Take the most challenging electives offered (foreign language sequence) and focus on your intended major
• Establish an upward grade trend (try to increase the overall strength of curriculum on a yearly basis)
• Participate in class and extend your learning beyond the classroom
• Develop and nurture significant relationships with adults (future recommenders)
• Seek out depth (not breadth) in your extracurricular activities (focus on leadership opportunities)
• Low-incidence sports, unique clubs and community agency involvement can be a big plus factor
• Volunteer approximately twice the required amount for your school or 120 hours (whichever is greater)
• Meet at least one time per year with your counselor

9th Grade

Fall

• Investigate possible career paths
• Develop a four-year plan that covers all courses and the sequence that fits you best

Winter

• Learn the difference between 2 year, Trade, Technical and 4-year colleges
• Examine your course selection guide thoroughly to ensure that you understand your options

Spring

• Complete an interest inventory
• Learn how career paths are enhanced or hindered by post-secondary choices

Summer

• Work/Internship/Volunteer (local opportunities)

10th Grade

Fall

• PSAT
• Attend a college fair to better understand what options are available
• Network thought family members to find job shadowing experiences

Winter

• Review PSAT scores to determine weak areas (focus on improving them on a macro level)
• Investigate what your AP, IB and CHS options are at your high school
• Seek out opportunities to tutor your peers

Spring

• Do a college search with varying criteria to develop a "long list"
• Establish a filing system for organizing all of your college materials
• Discuss realistic economic factors (income, savings, debt load) with your parents to determine how this will affect potential college choices
• Continue to seek out job shadowing experiences

Summer

• Safety, Target Reach (begin to create your "shortlist")
• Work/internship/volunteer (local/regional)
• Seek out an academic enrichment activity/course (3 weeks or longer)

***Please prepare adequately for your junior year. This is often the most difficult year academically and has the most steps involved in relation to preparing for the transition after high school. Standardized testing will become a huge factor during your junior year and if you are employed and working too much, you may negatively impact on your ability to do well in the classroom or in the testing setting. Your end of junior year GPA, along with your test scores, will be the biggest determining factors in acceptance or rejection at many colleges.***

11th Grade 

Fall

• PSAT/NMSQT
• ASVAB?
• Visit college websites
• Take virtual tours of colleges
• Attend a college fair to meet representatives

Winter

• Determine PSAT weaknesses (focus prep work on those areas)
• Begin SAT prep (book vs. course vs. online)
• Investigate and enroll in college coursework to supplement your senior year schedule
• Contact potential colleges for viewbooks and literature
• Purchase a college guidebook (anecdotal vs. factual)

Spring

• SAT I
• SAT II?
• Register and sit for AP exams
• Refine your college filing system with one accordion file for each potential school
• Contact potential college professors in your intended area of study
• Develop your "shortlist" (2 Safety, 3 Target, 3 Reach)
• Plan a road trip with your parents to streamline the visitation process
• Develop "Intended Major Strategy"

Summer

• Visit colleges, take the tour, attend the information session and interview (June)
• Send a thank-you note to interviewer or significant campus contact after meeting with them
• Get a job, nothing too "soft" (preferably in your area of interest)
• Internship (regional/political)
• Continue volunteering
• Get applications for the upcoming school year
• Write essay rough drafts
• Determine your end of junior year GPA and rank and determine what effect this has on your potential college choices
• Tell everyone you come in contact with about your potential colleges to seek out additional alumni or associated contacts
• Purchase a monthly calendar and align your upcoming workload with appropriate deadlines
• Consider assembling an academic resume

12th Grade

Fall

• Continue SAT prep
• College interviews
• Overnight visits
• SAT I (2nd time)
• Ensure that SAT scores have been sent electronically
• Attend a college fair to meet again with representatives and show "expressed interest" (get a business card)
• Attend any information sessions at your school or in your area hosted by potential colleges of interest to you
• Consider Early Decision/Early Action programs
• Request letters of recommendation
• Determine if the CSS Profile is needed for any of your schools
• Apply
• SAT II?

Winter

• FAFSA
• SAT I (3rd time)
• NCAA Clearinghouse
• Submit mid-year reports and updates
• Check application status for each school using their preferred method
• Begin to strategize for possible deferral/waitlist (what will be significantly different and therefore justify moving you to an acceptance status?)
• Pull your credit report to ensure that your "financial house is in order" for college loan purposes

Spring

• Enroll & Deposit
• Notify all other schools to deny their offer of admission
• Placement testing
• Housing
• Meal plans
• Register and sit for AP exams
• Graduate
• Send final transcript
• Secure transcripts for any college course taken in high school
• Fill out promissory notes for college loans

Summer

• Freshman course selection
• Orientation
• Investigate any major-specific obligations