Freshman Year

• Enroll in the classes that are designed to prepare you for college.
• Set up at least two appointments with high school counselor, preferably in the early fall and spring, to schedule your classes.
• Talk about careers, professions or studies that interest you

Sophomore Year

• Enroll in the classes that are designed to prepare you for  college.
• Make appointments on October and January with your counselor to discuss career plans.
• Read about college opportunities and talk to college representatives when they visit your region.
• Ask counselors to post College Day/College Night schedules.

Junior Year

• Study the admission requirements for colleges and universities that interest you.  Confirm that you are taking appropriate courses to meet college entrance requirements.
• Meet with your counselor.
• Attend College Day programs
• Attend meetings concerning financial aid or college admissions held in your region.
• Register for and take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) and the national Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), usually given in October.
• Set up a calendar for taking tests and completing college applications.
• Discuss your family's financial resources and review plans for financial aid.
• Think about people who might write you a recommendation; start with teachers, counselors and employers.
• In the spring, register for and take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Achievement test, or the American College Test (ACT).

Senior Year

July and August

• Write the colleges you are considering to request application forms, catalogs, and financial aid information.
• Visit SELECTED college campuses; talk to graduates and students at the institutions.

September

• Maintain or improve academic grades. College officials look unfavorably upon failing grades and reduced or less rigorous academics loads during the senior year.
• Check with your counselor to determine which tests are required and the deadlines for applying.
• Set up a calendar for taking tests and completing college applications.
• Make sure to fulfill application requirements.
• Check early decision deadlines.  See your counselor when you have questions and need help.
• Talk with college representatives when they visit your school.

October and November

• Attend College Day/Night programs.
• Apply to colleges with different admission requirements (least selective to more selective).
• Ask your counselor or look over your application form and discuss the next steps in applying to college.
• See your counselor about completing the Financial Aid Form (FAF).  Colleges require that students requesting financial aid provide the FAF, including the part that explains any unusual financial circumstances.
• Mail completed forms to college.
• check Military Academy or ROTC application and scholarship deadlines if appropriate.

December

• Send all applications and copies of high school grades tot he colleges before Christmas, unless a college indicates otherwise.
• Give your guidance counselor all required forms at least two weeks before they are due since November and December are very busy month for counselors.
• Take the Achievement Test required by some colleges.

January

• Mail the Financial Aid Form (FAF).
• Some colleges accept outstanding candidates during this month.
• Take the College Board Achievement Tests if required by the colleges and if you have not taken them previously.

February

• Ask your counselor to send your first semester's grades to the colleges, along with any other information not already forwarded.  Some colleges provide forms for this purpose and some do not.

March

• Recheck college catalogs and see your counselor to make sure that you have taken all of the necessary test.  If you haven't, make sure you register to take the tests in May.
• See your counselor about available Summer Enrichment Programs.
• If interested in an Allied Health career, apply to the Health Career Opportunities Program (HCOP) at Eastern Kentucky University.
• If interested in a career in Medicine, apply to the Professional Education Preparation Program (PEPP) at University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine.

April, May and June

• Keep a record of acceptances, rejections, and financial aid awards.
• Reply promptly to colleges to notify them of your decision.
• Reply promptly when you are notified that you have been awarded a financial aid package.
• Tell the college whether you are accepting or refusing the award.
• Meet the reply deadline or you may lose the admission acceptance or financial aid you have earned.
• Before you leave school in June, see your counselor to request that a final transcript be sent to the college or university of your choice.

Things to Save

• Copies of guidance office newsletters
• Canceled checks or money order receipts
• Admission tickets to tests and correction forms
• All test score reports
• Transcripts of high school grades
• Work copy of the FAF and all other financial aid forms
• College Scholarship Services acknowledgment form
• Copies of all correspondence send to or received from schools, including applications and acceptances.