Calendar for Senior Year

August

• Pick up registration forms to re-take SAT and ACT for the September or October test dates.
• Make a commitment to yourself to let first semester of your senior year be the best one ever.  Your grades really matter.
• Research your college options online and request catalogues.

 
September

• Make an appointment to meet individually with the College Counselor.
• Investigate and Request applications from all remaining colleges.
• Arrange to visit any remaining colleges with your parents.
• Attend college visits scheduled at the Arts Academy (listen for dates in the daily bulletin)
• Develop your portfolio, cd, video, writing or other for review.
• Work on your essay.
• Set up a calendar to record all known test dates, application deadlines, college visits, etc
• Early decision candidates should arrange to meet with recommending teachers to request letters ASAP.

October

• Take the SAT or ACT if you have not done so yet!
• Complete your resume from your list of accomplishments.
• Attend College Night at the Arts Academy (date announced to newsletter)
• Attend the NACAC Visual and Performing Arts College Fair. (Date in school calendar)
• Attend the National College Fair. (Date in school calendar)
• Finalize your college list to a narrowed list of 5-10 schools.
• Have in your possession all applications for the colleges on your short list.
• Begin contacting financial aid offices and discuss aid options.
• Attend college visits scheduled at the Arts Academy (listen for dates in the daily bulletin)
• Select and meet with recommending teachers.
• Hand in any counselor forms/recommendations to be completed by the college counselor.
• Work hard on and obtain feedback on your personal essay.

November

• Early Decision candidates must send in their applications.
• Finalize your personal essay; give a hardcopy to the college counselor to file.
• Set up audition appointments or portfolio review appointments.
• Visual Artists should attend Portfolio Days (listen for dates in the daily bulletin)
• Submit all materials to recommending teachers.
• Submit all completed applications at least three weeks prior to deadline to the college counselor to copy and send out.

December

• Pick up FAFSA forms in the main office or see www.fafsa.ed.gov to apply for financial aid.
  Do not send until January 1st!

• Submit all January 1st applications to the College Counselor by December 1st.   This ensures that your application gets in before the deadline. (Consider that the holiday season is upon us and many schools close for a while.)
• Send standardized test scores to your colleges.
• Regular applicants: call admissions offices to set up interviews.

January

• Submit any remaining applications with a January 15th or February 1st deadline ASAP.
• Have parents gather financial information for FAFSA.
• File all financial aid applications, including the FAFSA and Profile (if needed) as soon as possible after Jan. 1st   Remember, you may file based on estimated income from previous year.  Do not put this off because you have not filed tax returns.  Note: The closer the estimate, the closer the actual award.
• Write a thank you note to all teachers who wrote a letter of recommendation.
• If notified of early acceptance, submit all remaining information and withdraw applications to other schools.
• Deferred students should consider sending in additional letters of recommendation and other supplementary materials.

February

• Submit any remaining applications.
• Contact colleges to confirm they’ve received all your application materials.
• Finalize auditions and interview dates.
• Begin the scholarship search. Refer to the financial aid page for links.

March

• All you can do is wait.  This is the hardest part.

April

• Expect to be notified by all colleges and universities by mid-April.
• Notify College Counselor in writing of all admission decisions, whether accepted or not.
• Compare financial aid award letters. Determine if you need private loans or additional scholarships to close any gaps. Research options accordingly.
• Compare colleges. Attend admitted students’ weekends at college campuses.
• Discuss options with family.
• Students placed on wait lists should set up meetings with the college counselor to discuss options.
• Send in the acceptance notice to your chosen school. Make sure to get in your deposit.
• Decline offers from remaining colleges.

May

• May 1st: This is the Universal Acceptance Day for admissions and financial aid. You must let your colleges know which school you will be attending by this date. Times up! 
• Extremely important: Inform all colleges in writing whether you will or will not attend their school.
• Notify College Counselor of your selected choice.
• Write thank you letters to all recommending teachers and anyone else who helped you along the way. Inform them of your final decision.
• Waitlisted students can expect more information about their status after May 1st.
• Fill in housing and health forms.

Summer

• June 30th is the absolute final deadline to submit FAFSA information.
• Browse through the course catalog and student handbook. Familiarize yourself with the available classes and requirements.
• Gather more information on your school. Are there any clubs or extra-curricular activities that interest you?
• Contact future roommates.
• Go back-to-school shopping.
• Define your monthly budget with your family now so that you can get a sense of what you’ll be able to afford when you are away at school.
• Relax a little. You’ve worked hard. Congratulations!