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College Preparation Year-by-Year
  

 

We believe informed students have the greatest opportunities to target the right choices in higher education for their talents, skills, and interests. The Guidance Office offers extensive counseling regarding the college preparation/search/application process for both underclassmen and upperclassmen. All students have access to college counseling and the most current information about the following:

  • On-site college visits and fairs
  • Critical steps in the college application process
    (See guidelines for year-by-year college preparation below)
  • The availability of scholarships/financial aid
  • Helpful college-bound resources


Freshman Year
  • Challenge yourself academically and participate in extracurricular/volunteer activities.
  • Try different activities to identify your areas of interest. When you devote quality time to a few well-selected activities, it's more impressive than devoting a little time to lots of activities. Explore now with the goal of narrowing your focus in the future.
  • Begin to explore academic and career interests.
  • Take interest inventories and personality assessments.
  • Talk to your guidance counselor.
  • Start your portfolio of volunteer hours, school activities, sports involvement and outside activities.
  • Start your resume.
  • Talk to parents about financial planning for college, and estimate your aid needs.
  • Take advantage of financial aid and college planning programs.
  • Talk to college representatives who visit and attend college fairs.
  • Visit college campuses when you have the opportunity.
  • Take the PSAT.

Sophomore Year

  • Address academic weaknesses NOW. Colleges usually base admission on semester grades from Freshman through Junior years. 
  •  Add to and update your portfolio and resume.

  • Take the PLAN and the PSAT.
  • Use your PSAT and PLAN scores to determine areas of strength and need.
  • Retake interest inventories and personality assessments, noting changes.
  • Check your course selections against your college and career interests.
  • Talk to your guidance counselor.
  • Explore community service work congruent with your interests.
  • Narrow your extracurricular activities.
  • Continue talking to college representatives and attending college fairs.
  • Visit college campuses in Tennessee.
  • Attend financial aid and college planning programs.
  • Research college costs; update your early estimate of financial aid needs.
  • Prepare for AP tests.

Junior Year

  • Commit to academic excellence during what is traditionally your toughest year. Colleges usually base admission on semester grades from Freshman through Junior years.
  • Attend college planning and financial aid programs.
  • Take the PSAT (for the last time) to be considered for possible scholarships through the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
  • Take the SAT1, SAT2, and ACT in the spring.
  • Talk to your guidance counselor.
  • Retake interest inventories and personality assessments, and note changes and trends.
  • Create a list of colleges you want to consider, and write to them requesting information on admission, housing, and financial aid.
  • Continue talking to college representatives and attending college fairs. 
  • Attend college-sponsored information meetings.
  • Plan visits to colleges out of state.
  • Update your resume and portfolio.
  • Begin practicing your college essay.
  • Update your early estimate of financial aid.
  • Explore scholarship available by signing up for scholarship search engines, e.g., www.fastweb.com.
  • Before the end of the junior year, ask two teachers (one in the humanities and one in a math/science field) to consider writing a recommendation on your behalf.
  • Prepare for AP tests.

Summer Between Junior and Senior Year

  • Write to schools you'd like to attend to request applications for admission, housing and financial aid.
  • Take extensive comparative notes of institutions that you are interested in using books and online resources, e.g., www.collegeboard.com.

Senior Year

First Month of School

  • Contact schools to schedule visits over long weekends.
  • Make a deadline calendar.
  • Inform the Guidance Office if you plan to apply to a school either as Early Action or Early Decision.
  • Provide those teachers who will be writing recommendations for you with their portion of the application and a stamped, addressed envelope indicating the date the recommendation is due.   Please reference the model you received in your Junior Year.
  • Narrow college list to 6 or 7 schools; include at least one school at which you represent the top of the class.

Fall Semester

  • Retake SAT 1 or ACT, as needed.
  • Check monthly Hume-Fogg scholarship bulletin for opportunities.
  • Attend college planning and financial aid programs.
  • Attend college sponsored information meetings.
  • Continue talking to college representatives and attending college fairs.
  • Talk to your guidance counselor.
  • Update your resume and portfolio.
  • October 1 - Turn in transcript requests for schools with application deadlines on or before Nov. 15.
  • November 1 - All transcript request forms for colleges with deadlines after Nov. 15 must be turned in.
  • Finish and submit college applications. Keep records and copies of everything you send, including financial aid worksheets.

Spring Semester

  • Complete FAFSA.
  • Make decision on which school you want to attend.
  • Write letters to schools you wish to decline, withdrawing application.
  • Maintain or improve your academic standards.  Colleges can withdraw their conditional acceptance if you do not continue at the expected level of performance.
  • Prepare for AP tests.