What to do:

• October: Take the PSAT.

How we can help: When and how to begin the college process is the question we answer most often. Starting in the fall of their junior year, we help our students interpret their PSAT scores, make a preliminary plan for standardized testing, and provide an overview of the college process.

What to do:

• Begin the preliminary assessment/thinking process. Review your academic standing.

• Register for the SAT or SAT2 (Subject Tests) at www.collegeboard.org or for the ACT at www.act.org.

• Take a personality inventory, such as YouScience

• Begin your preliminary college research

• Start to visit colleges

How we can help: The winter and spring vacations provide an important opportunity to visit colleges while schools are in session. We develop an exploratory list of colleges to visit to get a sense of what different types of colleges have to offer. We will continue to refine that list throughout the spring and summer as the student becomes increasingly able to articulate the qualities that they seek in the colleges to which they wish to apply.

What to do:

• Continue to visit colleges

• Do an academic assessment: Calculate GPA; review academic requirements and curriculum choices for senior year.

• Take the SAT, SAT2, ACT, and/or AP exams as recommended and appropriate

• Learn about your school’s college application process (every school is slightly different in terms of gathering and sending out application materials)

• Write your resume

• Create an account with the Common Application

• Make plans for the summer

How we can help: The student’s transcript is the most important piece of their college application. We assist students with their course selection for senior year, seeking the right balance between rigor and achievement. We also  help students write their resumes, the first piece of the college application that they will complete.

What to do:

• Visit colleges and begin to interview

• Start to work on the Common Application

• Begin to gather materials for a supplemental portfolio

• Be involved in meaningful activities: academic programs, jobs, internships or volunteer opportunities

How we can help: How a student chooses to spend their discretionary time over the summer reveals their priorities and interests as well as their time-management skills, initiative, and work ethic. We help students to identify productive and meaningful activities that they can be involved in not just to build their résumés, but also to build their character.

What to do:

• Through further research and visits, begin to narrow down the list of colleges you are interested in applying to.

• Begin to work on Common Application Supplements.

How we can help: Most students have very little interviewing experience, so we help them prepare for effective college interviews. Our goal for our clients to take advantage of the summer months to complete their Common Application so that they can focus on their academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities in the fall. We work closely with our clients on their College Essay (the Personal Statement) so that they craft a piece of writing that reflects who they are, what they value, and how they see the world and is written in their own voice.

What to do:

• Register for the SAT or ACT

• Understand your school’s college application timeline

• Solicit recommendations from teachers/coaches/others

• Continue working on applications with particular attention to supplemental essays

How we can help: All of the pieces of the college application come together in the early fall. We help our clients organize their time and materials so that all their applications will be complete by the deadlines.

What to do:

• Decide where to apply Early Decision (I or II), Early Action, and Regular Decision

• Complete final college visits and interviews

• Above all, stay focused on your schoolwork so that your grades this semester will be as strong as possible.

How we can help: The decisions about where to apply and whether to apply Early Action/Early Decision is complicated and nuanced. We discuss with our clients the pros and cons of this decision and develop an application strategy using both hard and soft data.

What to do:

• In early spring, begin researching Gap Year opportunities if that interests you

• By April 15 at the latest, colleges will have mailed their decision letters

• By May 1, decide which college you want to attend and mail in deposit to reserve your spot

How we can help: Deciding which college to attend is, for most of our clients, the biggest decision they have ever made. We help our students make this choice by showing them various decision making strategies and making sure they’ve gathered all the information available to make that important decision.