POSTSECONDARY PLANNING CHECKLIST
9th
GRADE
Review your four-year plan of study formulated in 8th grade.
Find out what resources are available in the Career Center.
Become involved in community service and extracurricular activities.
Get off to a good start with the first grades of your high school career.
10th
GRADE
It is recommended that students take the PSAT in the fall of the sophomore year. The PSAT is given in
October each year.
Attend the PROBE college fair in the fall.
If you have not done so, identify sources of college and career information in the Guidance Office –
counselors, college catalogs, guidance publications, college guidebooks and computerized college-search
programs.
Explore summer activities related to your career goals.
Register for elective courses that are related to your academic major/career interests.
Read widely, write often, and review high school math over the summer to build skills.
11th
GRADE
Take the PSAT again in the fall of the junior year to qualify for National Merit Scholarship
competition. The PSAT is given in October each year.
Attend the PROBE college fair in the fall.
Utilize the Career Center, look at newspapers and Web sites; talk to classmates, parents, teachers, and
recent graduates of your school who are in college to learn about colleges.
Begin to visit college campuses.
Take the SAT/ACT in the spring. Check college catalogs to determine which test is required for
admission. Fee waivers are available for students who cannot afford the test fees.
Start learning about college costs and the process of applying for financial aid. Investigate other student aid
and scholarship programs.
Clarify your educational goals, needs, and preferences and develop a preliminary list of colleges.
Students interested in attending a Service Academy should begin the application process in the spring of this
year.
Register for elective courses that are related to your academic major/career interests.
Explore summer activities related to your career goals.
Register on www.GACollege411.org for college, career and scholarship information.
Identify teachers, administrators, counselors and other adults (e.g. employers) you will ask to write letters of
recommendation.
12th
GRADE
At the beginning of the school year, register with the NCAA Clearinghouse if interested in an athletic
scholarship at a Division I or II school.
Maintain an academically rigorous course of study.
If you have not clarified your educational goals, needs, and preferences and have not developed a preliminary
list of schools, do so NOW!
Reduce your preliminary college list to approximately 5 to 10 colleges.
Continue to visit college campuses.
Utilize www.GACollege411.org to access applications for the colleges on your reduced list. Analyze the
application instructions to see what information is required and mark all due dates in your agenda.
Decide whom to ask for recommendations, and ask them now, if you have not already done so. Provide an
addressed and stamped envelope plus the appropriate college forms as well as an outline of your academic
record and extracurricular activities (or Senior Brag Sheet)
Listen to announcements and read the Senior Newsletter to learn about postsecondary representatives
visits and scholarship information.
Retake the SAT or ACT in early fall to improve scores if necessary. Fee waivers are available for students
who cannot afford the test fees.
Obtain Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from the guidance office after January 1.
Private institutions may require additional forms that are available from their Financial Aid Office.
Finalize your college choice. As soon as you have decided which college to attend, notify your counselor
and all colleges that have accepted you.
All students must submit a final transcript to the college they decide to attend after high school. Prospective
Division I or II athletes must also send a final transcript to the NCAA Clearinghouse.