August College Prep Checklist for High School Seniors

It’s finally here: your senior year! Many seniors will admit to this year being bittersweet. You are excited, a bit overwhelmed by what is to come, and holding tight to this time with friends and family. In addition to living in the present throughout your senior year, you should also be planning for the future if you are on a post-graduation college path. Fortunately, we’re here to help you balance all of your to-dos with monthly college admissions and financial aid checklists.

College Planning Checklist for High School Seniors

Check out our must-dos for the month of August. By completing these tasks before August 31, you’ll be better poised to balance your senior year classes, extracurriculars, and college application process.

Consider registering to take the ACT or SAT (if you didn’t do so as a junior).

This year it’s important to check which tests the colleges you’re planning on applying to require, and to register accordingly. You don’t want to apply to a school without taking the required exams, as some merit scholarships are based upon test scores. Be sure to check with admissions reps at the colleges you’re interested in to see if they’ve modified the need for ACT or SAT scores for their merit scholarship system. When choosing the schools to submit your scores to, consider if submitting your scores will help or hurt your college application for any university with test-optional polices. If you do need to take either the SAT or ACT, keep studying until test day to ensure you’re as prepared as possible. You may consider using Khan Academy or CollegeBoard to practice and prepare for the SAT. The Princeton Review also offers online test prep and short boot camps to boost your confidence and your ACT score. Remember, October is the last time to sit for the SAT and ACT before the Early Action deadlines, and many students choose to take these exams for a final improvement on their scores, which may cushion applications.

Begin a college admissions process calendar.

On your calendar, you can keep track of everything regarding the college admissions process, from standardized testing dates and college interviews to scholarship deadlines. At this point, you can look up dates that have already been set for the fall semester. Start by looking up standardized testing dates if you’re planning on taking exams. Make sure to note registration deadlines and actual test dates on your calendar. If you know any colleges you will absolutely apply to, look up the college application deadline dates for those particular schools. You can usually find them listed on their website. If your list of colleges are now test-optional schools, consider talking with your high school counselor to get their take on if you should test. They may have connections with a college admissions team that can offer you solid advice. Continue adding to your calendar throughout the fall as the college admissions process progresses – there will certainly be a lot more to add! If you’re not on the email lists for the colleges you’re interested in, reach out to an admissions officer. ​

Make sure you’re on the right track to fulfill graduation and college admission requirements.

Meet with your school counselor to ensure that all courses you are taking will meet both your high school’s graduation requirements as well as college admission requirements. Ask if he or she knows any college students you could talk to. Some high schools offer a college admissions mentor program with the opportunity to talk with and ask college freshmen questions. If you're considering Early Action or Early Decision options, check in with your admissions officer to be sure you're on task to have everything accomplished when necessary. Remember that most Early Action and Early Decision deadlines occur in October or November.

Start narrowing down your college choice list.

Your list should consist of the following three categories:

1. “Safety” schools

Schools that you absolutely know you’ll gain admission to, based on the admission requirements. At these schools, you’ll likely be towards the top of your class ranking.

2. “Realistic” schools

Schools you’ll most likely gain admission to, based on the admission requirements, and may end up attending. At these schools, you will fall somewhere in the middle of your class ranking.

3. “Reach” schools

Schools you’d like to apply to and would be happy to get into, but are unsure that you will be accepted to based on the admission requirements. At these schools, you’ll probably fall into the bottom tier of the class ranking.

Continue to apply for scholarships.

Scholarships are a form of financial aid. Whether this is on your checklist or not, it should always be on your mind -- because the more you get into the habit of applying, the more scholarships you’ll apply for. And, the more scholarships you apply for, the better your odds are of winning. Do yourself (and your future bank account) a favor and never stop applying. Start by applying for this list of Scholarships for the Class of 2025. You'll definitely qualify for these scholarships for high school seniors!