• Get with your guidance counselor to review your four-year schedule (which is a three-year schedule now!). Make sure you're still on track for college admission.
• Contact your guidance counselor to register for the PSAT. Take the PSAT in October; it'll be good practice for taking the SAT next year.
• Work on your grades to keep them as high as possible.
• Get as involved as you can in extracurricular activities.
• Talk with older students about their plans for college. What schools are they looking at and why? Talk to college students, too, and find out what helped them the most as they prepared in high school.

• Sign up to take the PSAT, even if you already took it in your sophomore year. The scores on your PSATs could make a difference when you apply for scholarships.
• Check in with your guidance counselor to review your class schedule.

October

• Sharpen up those number two pencils and take the PSAT.
• It's time to start looking at colleges. Check out the web sites of your favorite schools. Ask your guidance counselor about different majors and what schools have the best programs in those majors.
• Make a target school list. Write to these schools and ask for their admission and financial aid information, or get that information on the schools' web sites. Share this information with your parents or guardians.
• If you think you'll be playing sports in college, visit the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) website at www.ncaa.org and download a free copy of the most recent NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete. It will give you a good idea of what you'll need to do and what you can expect.
• Ask your guidance counselor for a list of visiting college recruiters. Meet with as many as you'd like.
• Go to college fairs and, if you can, start visiting campuses.

November

• Get the academic requirements and SAT I, SAT II and/or ACT test requirements for your target schools.

January

• Sign up for the SAT I and II and/or ACT.
• If you're pretty sure you know what college you want to go to, talk to your guidance counselor about early decision. "Early decision" means you send in your application early (usually in November of your senior year) and you get an answer early (typically December.) BUT — some colleges have restrictions on applying early, again check with your guidance counselor before you do anything.

March

• Contact your target schools and get information on the cost of attendance, and deadlines for application.
• Start looking for scholarships and grants.
• Make a schedule of application deadlines.

April

• Take the SAT I and II and/or ACT.

Summer

• If possible, visit your target schools.
• Talk to as many people as you can about what they do for a living. Ask them for their pros and cons about their jobs. And try to find out how college prepared them for the working world.

• It's time to make some important choices. Make a list of your top target schools, including one "reach" school and one safety school.
• Keep looking for scholarships and grants!
• Schedule campus visits by calling the admissions offices of your target schools.
• Meet with recruiters who are visiting from your target schools.
• Meet with your guidance counselor to review admissions requirements for your college and compare to where you are on grades and test scores.
• If you're not happy with your scores, register to take your SATs and/or ACT again.
• Decide if you want to apply for early decision at your top choice school. If you do, you'll need to find out the procedures from the college.

October

• Begin completing your enrollment paperwork.
• Be sure you have financial aid information from your target colleges.
• Mark your calendar to show deadlines for financial aid and college applications.
• Take your SATs or ACT again if you want to try to get a higher score.
• Go to as many college fairs and financial aid information nights as you can.
• If you haven't done so, visit your target schools.
• Have at least two teachers and two extracurricular advisors write recommendations for you.

November

• If you want to try for early decision, send your applications in this month.
• Be sure your references are working on their letters of recommendation for you.
• Finish all of your enrollment and scholarship applications and have someone review them to make sure you haven't left anything out.

December

• Get a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from your guidance counselor, college financial aid office or on the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
• Ask your parents to review the FAFSA with you and start pulling their financial information together to complete the form.
• DO NOT SUBMIT THE FAFSA UNTIL AFTER JANUARY 1st!

January

• Some local colleges may have workshops on FAFSA applications. Try to attend one.
• Submit your FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1st. Don't forget to keep a copy for your records.

February

• Those enrollment and financial aid deadlines are getting close! Be sure to keep track of them!
• Start applying to schools BEFORE the deadlines and make sure you keep copies of all applications.
• Submit your FAFSA no later than February 15th! Be sure to keep a copy for your records.
• Ask your high school to send your first-term transcripts to your target schools.

March

• If you need to, sign up to take Advanced Placement tests.
• Watch your mailbox for requests for information from college admissions and financial aid offices. Respond ASAP!
• Watch for your Student Aid Report (SAR), too. Review it carefully and make any necessary changes. Sign it, make a copy for your records, and send it in to your target schools.

April

• MAKE YOUR FINAL DECISION ON A COLLEGE. Notify their admissions office. And if you've been wait-listed, contact the admissions office to see if there's anything else you can do.
• If you applied to several schools, contact the others to tell them you're going to school elsewhere.
• Review the financial aid package from your future college.

May

• If the amount in your financial aid package doesn't meet all of your needs, find out more about private loan options from SunTrust. These loans can help you fill that gap between your financial aid award and the actual cost of attending college.
• You'll most likely need to pay required deposit(s) for enrollment and room and board.
• Take any Advanced Placement exams your college recommends.

June

• Ask your guidance counselor to send your final transcript to your college.
• Call the admissions and/or financial aid office to be sure they have all the information they need.

Summer

• Be sure all of your loan applications are complete and submitted.
• Be sure all of your deposits are up to date.
• PACK!
• Go to any orientation programs at your college.
• Go to the financial aid office when you arrive on campus to make sure everything is in order.
• Pre-register for classes.

Congratulations. . . you did it!