Planning for College
Freshman Year
Build a foundation.
Sophomore Year
Discover and grow.
Junior Year
Build your brand.
Senior Year
Share your brand.
Freshman Year
- Explore interests both inside and outside of school.
- Create a course plan for high school years 9-10.
- Research and establish summer plans.
Sophomore Year
- Reassess hobbies and activities.
- Establish a long term game plan to maximize options and opportunity.
- Reevaluate course plan.
- Define learning preferences and styles.
- Begin college discussion.
- Vocalize likes and dislikes, needs vs. wants.
- Begin discussion of college entrance exams.
- Research and implement summer plans.
Junior Year
- Acquire leadership roles and advanced opportunities with hobbies and activities.
- Get recognized for hard work and ingenuity by your school and community.
- Hone in on the college list and visit college campuses.
- Begin demonstrating interest to colleges.
- Create testing calendar and begin admissions test preparation.
- Start brainstorming and developing ideas for personal statements and essays.
- Plan and prepare for college tours and demonstrating interest.
- Research and implement summer goals.
- Take it to the next level by taking a class at a community college or university class over the summer.
- Build local and global community support for the things that inspire you.
Senior Year
- Continue to work on items from junior year and grow leadership roles and advanced opportunities connected to personal hobbies and interests.
- Secure compelling and personalized letters of recommendation.
- Prepare for interviews.
- Complete mock interviews with interviewers from Harvard or UC Berkeley.
- Establish Early Decision/ Early Action plan.
- Complete application essays and short answers.
- Finish all application work by December 1st.
- Keep grades up and courses on track.
- Submit FAFSA CSS profile for aid, awards, and scholarships.
- Research and implement summer goals.
- Create freshman year college survival guide.