The End-of-the-Year College Planning Checklist Every High School Student Should Have

For all students around the country right now, this time of year is arguably the most stress-inducing for college planning. You’ve got final exams to study for as the year approaches its final months, and then even after that, you’ll still have to worry about preparing for what’s to come in the next year ahead. That line of thinking can work best for high school seniors ready to graduate, but we think we can pass that down to underclassmen too.

We know what your response will be: you’re tired from working hard, and students normally don’t want to hear that they will have to prepare for next year even after just finishing up. You just want to relax and take time off, but no worries, we’ve got you covered. Our job is to make sure your college planning goes smoothly without any headaches.

In this blog, we will run through the end-of-the-year college planning checklist that every high school student should have.

High School Freshmen and Sophomores

For every freshman and sophomore, it’s a new beginning, and you’re just getting your feet wet in this new life of high school education. Most people look at freshman and sophomore years as the years to have the most fun. Take your classes and grades seriously, of course, but try to have fun too. 

One of the big staples of planning in your first two years comes down to reviewing your academic progress. Your progress is not all about seeing what your grades are; it’s also about looking at where you might feel comfortable and most uncomfortable. What areas of education are offering you the most amount of risk? This is why people change majors in college so often after the first and second years. A lot of college students realize that something isn’t working with their major or minor, and that’s the best way to analyze where they’re at. The sooner you know (with confidence) you’re in the right major, the less money you will waste in the form of college debt on choosing one.

Are you utilizing school resources enough to do well? Is it a good way to manage your time with the classes you take? What are you most passionate about? These are questions we always ask of our students. This coincides with our #1 mistake of the 12 Mistakes to Avoid. This page outlines what not to do while preparing for college, and not having a plan is our top recommendation. Don’t just wing it!

High School Juniors and Seniors

Now it’s time for us to get more serious about this conversation, because junior and senior years are the ones that take you through the college planning process even more. Junior year is looked at as the most critical year for college planning, while senior year is the one where you have to finish strong to make up for what you did in junior year and finalize some big decisions for your college education.

For juniors, right now, you’re probably studying for the SAT and ACT. These exams are so instrumental for your success. Our Send Your Kids to College team includes All-Pro Tutoring, which helps students prepare for the SAT & ACT! 

Students are invited to complete a free simulated ACT or SAT, which includes a follow-up score report. It’s the perfect way to help you prepare, and our site gives you the ability to register for either exam here and around the WNY and Buffalo areas. You can check out their full upcoming schedule of 4-hour and 9-hour prep courses at allprotutoring.com! 

One thing that is mostly done during junior year but could extend into senior year is college searching. You’ll want to create a nice and balanced list of all the colleges you’d like to attend based on the major/minor you want to take. Once that’s done, go and attend all the college fairs you can and compile as much research as you can to get an understanding of whether a college is the right fit for you.

Researching colleges early applies heavily to our #2 mistake to avoid from the 12 Mistakes to Avoid. Don’t start this phase of planning too late! As we outline, junior year is your baseline for college financial planning. You will want to organize getting the money together to pay for everything in advance. Both juniors and seniors can do this through FAFSA and any other financial aid sign-ups and applications. College financial aid forms can be challenging to get around; FAFSA helps with that and makes it hassle-free. If you need help signing up, call us immediately, and we can do it for you! Sign up now and learn more!

Have that College Money Talk with your parents on how to do that. It’s the most important conversation you can have with your family because whatever gets talked about brings benefits to the end of your college education when you graduate.

Juniors and seniors can both start looking for a route of college financial aid that’s super beneficial, and that’s scholarship funds. Send Your Kids to College has a great lineup of different scholarships to apply to. Everything from local WNY scholarships, national scholarships, and our very own Young Achievers Scholarship. 

That is the primary scholarship that we give out each year to 1,000 candidates who have proven to be some of the best students around. Read more about it on our website and see who our past winners are. The deadline for the application is June 30th!

Other than that, for seniors, their final year is all about maintaining the grades they’ve accumulated, focusing on the success that got them accepted into college, and executing on all the final processes of getting ready for that new life. Most importantly, enjoy what time is left of high school life. We will be there to pick you up when you’re about to start. If you ever need help or have any questions, reach out through our contact form, give us a call, and we will be there!

College Planning FAQ

When should I start planning for college while in high school?

The best answer to this question: plan as early as you can! Planning super late during senior year will not help. The most successful students take a gradual approach to planning starting during their first years of high school. Your focus should be on building a strong academic foundation and exploring what your main interests are. By junior and senior year, college planning becomes much more serious. Start preparing for the SAT or ACT, research your favorite colleges, and starting to think about financial planning. These are the years where everything comes full circle. The smallest of these early actions each year can make a big difference in your college journey.,