Early and careful planning are keys to successfully preparing for your child's continued education. It is never too early to begin preparing your child for the challenges that he/she will face - deciding which college is best and understanding what is required to gain admission into the college of his/her choice. Not every person is admitted into their first choice college, but proper planning CAN help and will make the process a lot more enjoyable. The following information is designed to give you that head start in preparing for college.

Freshman Year

• Help your child make a list of courses he/she will take to prepare for college.
• Encourage your child to keep a list of all activities that he/she hopes to participate in during the high school years. Extracurricular involvements often make the difference with college admissions officers.
• Continue to set aside money to help finance post-secondary education. Help your child search for part-time work opportunities. These jobs not only help you to save for college, they also provide experience that can be included on college applications.
• Ask Human Resources personnel at your place of employment about scholarship offers that your child may be eligible to receive.

Sophomore Year

• Suggest a first visit to the guidance counselor for your child to talk about going to college. Ask to help review any literature obtained.
• Make a commitment to becoming involved in the college selection process and express interest in providing advice. Talk about college majors and other educational and social interests.
• Remind your child about the PSAT/NMSQT exams given in October each year. Sophomores and juniors who score well on the exams may be eligible for special honors and scholarships. To find out more, speak to the high school guidance counselor.
• Early in the year ask the guidance counselor for information on the SATII tests. These are exams given in specific subject areas and are best taken immediately following the completion of the last course in a given subject. If your child scores high enough on these exams, he/she could gain placement in advanced courses or be excused from usually required college course work.
• Encourage part-time work during the school year or a summer job to help earn extra savings.

Junior Year, September – November

• Set aside one area of your home where only college materials are kept. To be even more organized, separate materials into files (for example, financial aid information, SAT preparations, applications, school literature, etc.).
• Begin to help with research by requesting literature, attending community college fairs, searching for career programs and receiving career counseling.
• Review courses and activities your child has completed. Identify areas that need improvement and additional effort.
• Encourage a retake of the PSAT/NMSQT to improve the first score and increase chances for merit scholarships.
• Begin a list of achievements, abilities, interests, and activities. Highlight strengths and look for weaknesses.

Junior Year, December – February

• In December students receive their PSAT/NMSQT scores. Help your child interpret the score report and use the results to identify specific areas to work on before taking the SAT I.
• Over the holiday break, review with your child his/her lists of interests and goals. Make a list of traits that fit these interests and rank them by order of importance.
• Begin researching specific scholarships and determining eligibility needs. High school guidance counselors, local civic organizations, and public libraries are excellent sources for this information. The Internet also provides opportunities to contact scholarship search services.
• Encourage your child to take the SAT I. See the guidance counselor for registration and practice materials. Look into preparatory courses to improve test-taking skills.
• Ask the guidance counselor for information about Advanced Placement (AP) and College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests.
• Begin identifying colleges that possess traits that you have ranked most important. Write to or call the admissions offices at these schools. They can arrange for a visit and provide you with any literature and applications to aid your child's decision.

Junior Year, April – June

• Advanced Placement exams are given in May.
• SAT I and SAT II tests are administered in June.
• Before the end of the school year, identify teachers, employers, activity leaders, etc. who will write letters of recommendation for your child. Encourage your child to speak to these people as soon as possible.

Junior Year – Summer

• Keep saving money with part-time summer work.
• Try to plan at least one family visit to a college this summer. If there are any schools your child is interested in that are not local, this is the prime time to check them out.

Senior Year – September

• Remind your child to register for the October SAT I early in September (better yet, try to register in August). Remember, this is the most popular exam date with high school seniors so the earlier you register the more likely you will receive your first choice test location.
• Review all college materials you have collected. Reduce the list of choices to a manageable number of possibilities and throw out unnecessary materials. This will provide better focus.
• List deadlines and essential activities for the remaining schools. For each choice you should know the deadlines for the financial aid application, test score receipts (SAT I, SAT II, Advanced Placement, etc.), and admissions deadlines.
• Know exactly what materials each college expects (including all applications, essays, and recommendations).

Senior Year, October – November

• Make any final college visits, speak to alumni and current students in your area to get personal experiences and opinions. These people may also have inside advice regarding the application process.
• SAT I exam date is in October.
• Help review private scholarship deadlines and apply early.
• Contact the financial aid office at the schools you are considering. Find out what forms you need to submit to apply for financial aid and the deadlines for submitting the required forms.
• Obtain the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and begin to review the requirements to complete that application.
• Many schools that offer "early decision" admission may require applications by November 15. Check with the admissions offices at your child's choices to determine deadlines.

Senior Year, December – February

• During the December break, encourage your child to finish all essays and applications. Make sure all materials are ready.
• Keep copies of all income statements and asset information that you use to fill out your tax forms. These materials are essential to completing financial aid applications.
• Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon after January 1st as possible. Some forms of financial aid have limited availability. If you are eligible for these types of financial aid, the sooner you return the FAFSA the better your chances of receiving larger amounts of these funds.

Senior Year, March – June

• In March you should receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). The date you receive the SAR will depend on the date you filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This report contains information about your eligibility to receive a Pell Grant and includes a calculation of your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC).
• Review the Student Aid Report, make any necessary changes and return the corrected form to the processor. If no corrections are necessary, send a signed copy of the Student Aid Report, along with documentation for any state or private scholarships which your child has been awarded, to the school's financial aid office.
• About April, colleges begin sending acceptance letters. Be prepared to help your child in the selection process.
• Review the financial aid award packages received from colleges. Help decide how much debt you need to incur and how much you and your child can afford to repay. Consult the financial aid offices of the candidate colleges for information about grants, scholarships, and awards.
• Once a decision has been made, begin to make attendance preparations. These may include room and board decisions, continued visits to the financial aid office and orientation meetings on-campus. Find out which of these preparations you can be involved in and take time to schedule them on dates you can attend.
• As soon as your child has made a decision, notify all schools where he/she has received offers of acceptance about his/her intent.