When do I do all this College Prep Stuff?

When am I supposed to do all this “college prep stuff”? anonymous student

All of this is in much greater detail on the College Prep-101 web site (www.collegeprep101.com), under “College Planning Checklist”. There I’ve posted information and checklists for parents of young children, middle school/junior high school students, each year of high school, as well as one for parents. But here’s the abridged version.

You need to start thinking about careers and majors as soon as you know what a career or major is. You need to start taking college prep classes in ninth grade – and take them seriously! You need to start taking PLAN, PSAT, ACT and SAT tests during sophomore year. Hopefully you’ve already visited several college campuses, but you need to start touring them and talking to people on campus in sophomore or junior year. CLEP tests can be taken any time you complete a class you want to test in (AP tests are offered in May each year). As far as applications go… Admission applications should be done in early fall of senior year; scholarships, late fall or early spring; financial aid, January or February; housing, ASAP, but by mid-spring. Making your final decision about which college to attend is likely to be in spring of your senior year. Enrollment should take place as early as possible, but likely in late spring or early summer. Also in the summer, or just before school starts, you should attend the orientation program at your college.

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