Fall Semester Timeline for High School Seniors

Summer is officially over and your final fall semester of high school is in full swing. Thereï ¿ ½s a lot of anticipation as you enter your last year of high school, and to put it lightly, you have a lot on your plate. Between keeping up with your coursework, extracurricular activities and preparing for college admissions, itï ¿ ½s easy to get overwhelmed. To help you organize all your tasks and college prep responsibilities, weï ¿ ½ve put together this fall semester guide for high school seniors. Finalize your list of colleges Based on your college visits during the summer, carve out some time to narrow down your top colleges and also a list of your ï ¿ ½safety netï ¿ ½ schools. During this time you may also continue to visit colleges. College application deadlines will be approaching quickly, so you want to seriously consider which schools you will be applying to. Outline important deadlines This semester in particular has a lot of moving parts. To ensure that you donï ¿ ½t miss any important details, create a calendar encompassing all college application due dates and reminders. For example important deadlines may inlcude: when to register for the SAT, when to take the SAT, when your college applications are due, a check-in date regarding your recommendation letters, and scholarship application due dates. RELATED: 8 things to know going into your freshman year of college Take and/or re-take standardized tests Fall is your last opportunity to take or retake any standardized tests such as SAT, ACT, or SAT subject tests. Both the SAT and ACT tests are administered in October, and you may have another opportunity to retake these tests in November, December, and lastly in January. Be sure to register on time to take any standardized test, and request either online or by mail that your test scores be sent to the colleges of your choice. Work on completing college applications If youï ¿ ½re planning to apply to any colleges as an early action candidate, youï ¿ ½ll want to use this time to dot your iï ¿ ½s and cross your tï ¿ ½s, since youï ¿ ½re only weeks away from your submission deadline. Be sure you have all items ï ¿ ½ test scores, recommendation letters, application essays and transcripts ready to go. For those of you applying to college as a regular decision candidate, take this time to complete and finish your college applications. You should plan to have all your submission items, as stated above, ready to go before winter break. Check-in with recommenders By this time, you should have already asked a handful of individuals to provide recommendation letters. If you havenï ¿ ½t already done so, be sure to approach your teachers, coaches and other contacts as soon as possible. Give them the college recommendation forms along with an addressed and stamped envelope. Also, be sure to add your name and college of choice to each recommendation form. Youï ¿ ½ll want to make it a simple process for your recommender so theyï ¿ ½re able to focus on what really counts ï ¿ ½ writing about your talents and abilities. RELATED: A high schoolerï ¿ ½s guide to preparing for the Ivy Leagues Stay on top of your senior year academics and school commitments As you get busier managing your college applications, it may be easy to take a back seat to your senior year curriculum or extracurricular commitments. But keep in mind that many colleges look at what you have done during your senior year as well. Focus on finishing strong in your coursework and commitments. Work on scholarships We understand that between taking the SATs, finishing college applications and maintaining your extracurricular commitments, applying to scholarships might be the last thing on your mind. However, itï ¿ ½s important that you set aside a little time each week to research and apply for scholarships. There are many free tools and resources available to help you find potential aid. Reach out to the colleges youï ¿ ½re applying to about what resources are available and ask your counselor what types of scholarships you qualify for. RELATED: A guide to applying for scholarships Summer is officially over and your final fall semester of high school is in full swing. Thereï ¿ ½s a lot of anticipation as you enter your last year of high school, and to put it lightly, you have a lot on your plate. Between keeping up with your coursework, extracurricular activities and preparing for college admissions, itï ¿ ½s easy to get overwhelmed. To help you organize all your tasks and college prep responsibilities, weï ¿ ½ve put together this fall semester guide for high school seniors. Finalize your list of colleges Based on your college visits during the summer, carve out some time to narrow down your top colleges and also a list of your ï ¿ ½safety netï ¿ ½ schools. During this time you may also continue to visit colleges. College application deadlines will be approaching quickly, so you want to seriously consider which schools you will be applying to. Outline important deadlines This semester in particular has a lot of moving parts. To ensure that you donï ¿ ½t miss any important details, create a calendar encompassing all college application due dates and reminders. For example important deadlines may inlcude: when to register for the SAT, when to take the SAT, when your college applications are due, a check-in date regarding your recommendation letters, and scholarship application due dates. RELATED: 8 things to know going into your freshman year of college Take and/or re-take standardized tests Fall is your last opportunity to take or retake any standardized tests such as SAT, ACT, or SAT subject tests. Both the SAT and ACT tests are administered in October, and you may have another opportunity to retake these tests in November, December, and lastly in January. Be sure to register on time to take any standardized test, and request either online or by mail that your test scores be sent to the colleges of your choice. Work on completing college applications If youï ¿ ½re planning to apply to any colleges as an early action candidate, youï ¿ ½ll want to use this time to dot your iï ¿ ½s and cross your tï ¿ ½s, since youï ¿ ½re only weeks away from your submission deadline. Be sure you have all items ï ¿ ½ test scores, recommendation letters, application essays and transcripts ready to go. For those of you applying to college as a regular decision candidate, take this time to complete and finish your college applications. You should plan to have all your submission items, as stated above, ready to go before winter break. Check-in with recommenders By this time, you should have already asked a handful of individuals to provide recommendation letters. If you havenï ¿ ½t already done so, be sure to approach your teachers, coaches and other contacts as soon as possible. Give them the college recommendation forms along with an addressed and stamped envelope. Also, be sure to add your name and college of choice to each recommendation form. Youï ¿ ½ll want to make it a simple process for your recommender so theyï ¿ ½re able to focus on what really counts ï ¿ ½ writing about your talents and abilities. RELATED: A high schoolerï ¿ ½s guide to preparing for the Ivy Leagues Stay on top of your senior year academics and school commitments As you get busier managing your college applications, it may be easy to take a back seat to your senior year curriculum or extracurricular commitments. But keep in mind that many colleges look at what you have done during your senior year as well. Focus on finishing strong in your coursework and commitments. Work on scholarships We understand that between taking the SATs, finishing college applications and maintaining your extracurricular commitments, applying to scholarships might be the last thing on your mind. However, itï ¿ ½s important that you set aside a little time each week to research and apply for scholarships. There are many free tools and resources available to help you find potential aid. Reach out to the colleges youï ¿ ½re applying to about what resources are available and ask your counselor what types of scholarships you qualify for. RELATED: A guide to applying for scholarships