High School is an exciting time of life. With all the things you have going on, in
addition to your classwork, your senior year will come and go before you know it.
We are going to give you some tools that will assist in the planning process, and
help you get everything done on schedule. You are not alone in this, and together
we CAN get it all done!
Let’s take a look at some of the planning you will want to do.
Planning Timelines
Whether you’re just starting to plan for college or midway through your senior year
it is never too late to look at some of the timelines. Look back and make sure you
have completed the steps from before and look ahead to find out what you need to complete.
Each year there are many things to do and the timelines can be helpful. Remember these
are guidelines to help you plan for college. You may be surprised how many of the items
on the list you have already done as part of your college planning, and don’t get worried
if you didn’t check off everything on the list.
Finish Strong!
Talk to your guidance counselor and make sure to keep up with everything from your grades
to your class rank. Your guidance counselor can help make sure you are on the right track
to graduate on time.
Keep in mind that when you apply to a college they may ask for a copy of your high school
transcript. If your transcript shows you were an “A” student through your junior year,
but slacked and became a “C” student in your senior year, they may think twice about
admitting you. If you went from a “B” to an “A” student they might see the improvement
as a reason to accept your application.
Dual-Credit / AP Classes
As you check to make sure you’re on the right track to go to college, talk to your guidance
counselor about taking some advanced placement classes, or look into taking some dual-credit
classes while in high school. These classes can help you get a jumpstart on college and help
prepare you for the next step.
Always remember if you have a question about anything on this site, feel free to
drop us a note at outreach@ismloans.org
and we’ll be happy to answer or elaborate on an item that is confusing or unclear.