Save the Date for College
College applications can seem overwhelming at first glance. What needs to be done, and when? Use this calendar to get a bird's-eye view of the college application process.
Your child can use her My Organizer account to track application steps online and access personalized tools and reminders. She can also sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, which provides timely tips and advice about college, admission tests, financial aid, and more.
Summer Before Senior Year
- Take advantage of summer break and visit colleges on your child's list. Call ahead for the campus tour schedule. Arrange to meet with a financial aid representative. Your child should (if necessary) schedule an on-campus interview with the admission office.
- Your child should finalize her list of colleges. Be sure your child's list includes "safe" schools, as well as "reach" and "realistic" schools. Request college applications and informational packets. Organize materials into separate files by college.
- Keep a college calendar of all admission deadlines.
- If your child plans on competing in Division I or Division II college sports and wants to be eligible to be recruited by colleges, she must register with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.
- If your child took AP® Exams in May, she will receive an AP Grade Report in July.
- Your child should register early for fall SAT® tests.
Learn More:
Campus Visit Checklist
How Many Applications?
September
- Have your child schedule an appointment with her counselor to talk about college plans and to review her transcript.
- Your child should get started on applications right away if she plans to apply through an early decision or early action program. Deadlines for early applications tend to fall in October or November.
- Encourage your child to start working on college essays.
- Remind your child to update her resume—list of accomplishments, involvements, and work experiences—with senior year activities. Your child's resume will help her complete applications and essays.
Learn More:
Early Decision & Early Action
Application Requirements
What's in a College Essay?
October
- Your child should ask her counselor, teachers, and coaches or employers for letters of recommendation. Letter writers should be given plenty of time to meet application deadlines and should be provided with stamped and addressed envelopes.
- If your child is taking SAT tests this month, make sure that scores are sent to the appropriate colleges.
- Early decision or early action candidates should be sure to get all forms in as soon as possible.
Learn More:
Letters of Recommendation
November
- Your child should submit early decision and early action applications on time.
- Help your child wrap up college essays. You can help proofread essays for mistakes, but remember that writing the essay is your child's responsibility and it should reflect her voice, not yours.
- Remind your child to follow up with teachers to ensure that letters of recommendation are sent on time to meet application deadlines.
- Applications should be mailed as early as possible for colleges with rolling deadlines (admission decisions are made as applications are received).
- If your child is taking SAT tests this month, make sure that scores are sent to the appropriate colleges.
Learn More:
What's in a College Essay?
Types of Essays & Sample Questions
December
- Your child should try to finish all college applications before winter break. Remember to make copies of each application before sending it off.
- If your child is taking SAT tests this month, make sure that scores are sent to the appropriate colleges.
- Early decision and early application responses arrive this month.
January
- Early decision and early application responses arrive this month.
- Some colleges include first-semester grades as part of the application folder. This is called the mid-year grade report. Your child's counselor should send grades to colleges that require them.
February
- Remind your child to contact her colleges and confirm that all necessary application materials have been received.
- Encourage your child to stay focused on schoolwork. Colleges want to see strong second-half grades.
Learn More:
What to Do about 'Senioritis'
March
- Some admission decisions arrive this month. Read each letter carefully, and take note of all reply deadlines.
Learn More:
Decision-Making Guide
April
- Most admission decisions and financial aid award letters arrive this month. Read each letter carefully, and take note of all reply deadlines.
- Your child should make a final decision, and mail the enrollment form and deposit check to the school she has selected before May 1 (the reply deadline for most schools).
- Remind your child to notify each of the schools she will not be attending in writing so that your child's place can be freed up for other students.
- If your child is on the waiting list, have her contact the admission office and communicate continued interest in the college. Your child should update them on her spring semester grades and activities, and request next steps.
Learn More:
Decision-Making Guide
Rejected? Wait-Listed? Accepted?
May
- If your child is taking AP Exams this month, make sure the AP Grade Report will be sent to the final-choice college.
- Encourage your child to study hard for final exams. Most admission offers are contingent on your child's final grades.
- Your child should be sure to thank her counselor, teachers, coaches, and anyone else who wrote letters of recommendation or otherwise helped with college applications.
Learn More:
Next Steps
June
- Your child's counselor should send a copy of the final transcript to your child's college choice.
- If your child plans on competing in Division I or Division II college sports, her counselor must send a copy of the final transcript to the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.
Summer
- Make travel plans. Book early for the best prices.
- Finalize your child's housing plans.
- Shop together for items your child will need in college.
- Make sure your child signs up for first-year orientation.
Learn More:
Off-to-College Checklist
Off-Campus or On?
Note: This calendar is only a general guide and will not apply to all colleges. Consult application materials, admission offices, and institution websites for the specific requirements and deadlines for each of your child's colleges.
