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Grade Level Timelines (PDF Version)

Ninth Grade Time Line

Fall

• Meet with your counselor to begin discussing colleges and careers and to update your academic planning.
• Work to your academic potential. The grades you earn in ninth grade will be included in your final high school GPA and class rank. This is important for college admission and scholarships.
• Explore your interests and possible careers.
• Participate in extracurricular activities 
• Talk to your parents about planning for college expenses. Encourage them to come to Financial planning nights
• Continue or begin a savings plan for college.
• Look at college information available in your counselor's office.

 

Spring  

• Use the Internet to check out college Web sites.
• Make a preliminary list of colleges that might interest you.
• Tour a nearby college if possible. Visit relatives or friends who live on or near a college campus. Check out the dorms. Go to the library or student center. Get a feel for college life.
• Investigate summer enrichment programs and community service opportunities over the summer.

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Tenth Grade Time Line

Fall

• Attend the Chaminade College Fair

• In October take the PLAN for a practice run on the ACT.

• Become familiar with general college entrance requirements. Be sure you are taking the right classes both for graduation and college entrance.

• If eligible, apply for CSF and the National Honor Society

• Continue to participate in community service activities

 

Winter

• Remember the importance of being a well-rounded individual. Work toward leadership positions in the activities that you like best. Become involved in community service and/or other volunteer activities.

• Read, read, read. Read as many books as possible. Learn about current affairs.

• Work on your writing skills. Locate a teacher or another adult who will advise and encourage your abilities as a writer.

  Spring

• Keep your grades up so you can have the highest GPA and class rank possible.

• Ask your counselor about postsecondary enrollment options and Advanced Placement courses.

• Continue to assess your strengths, weaknesses, goals, and favorite subjects. Explore careers relative to your interests/abilities.

• Begin thinking about the type of college you would prefer (two-year or four-year, small or large, rural or urban).

• If you are interested in attending a military academy, now is the time to start planning and getting information.

• Write to colleges and obtain their academic requirements for admission or check the Guidance Office for information

• Visit a few more college campuses. Read all the mail you receive from colleges. You may see something you like

• Keep putting money away for college. Try to get a summer job.

• Investigate summer enrichment programs.

• Consider taking SAT II Subject Tests in the courses you took this year while the material is still fresh in your mind. These tests are offered in May and June.

• Take your AP Exam in May if you took AP US History  

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Eleventh Grade Time Line

September

• Be sure that your courses are as challenging as you can handle, but not so difficult that your grades suffer. You will only be able to drop a course if you are failing or getting a D. Colleges do not look favorably on mid-year drops.

• Attend Juniors and Parents Night.
• Attend the Guidance Grade Level Assemblies to get a free copy of your transcript. Check it over carefully to be sure that it is correct.
• Attend the Chaminade College Fair.
• Choose your extracurricular activities wisely. Junior year is a balancing act. Focus on what is most important to you.
• Attend college rep visits to Chaminade.

October

• Take the PSAT/NMSQT. You are automatically registered to take this test at Chaminade on Testing Day. In addition to National Merit Scholarships, this is the qualifying test for the National Scholarship Service and Fund for Negro Students and the National Hispanic Scholarship Recognition Program. If you do your best you will have a good idea of how you will perform on the SAT in the Spring.
• Work through sample questions provided with the explanatory materials in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Bulletin.
• Be sure you have a social security number.
• Grades are due;.don't get behind.

November

• Examine the reasons you want to continue your education after Chaminade. Focus on your goals for life and the career training you need.

• When choosing a college, weigh each of the following factors according to their importance to you and decide what you want in terms of: size, location, distance from home, majors, academic rigor, housing, cost and financial aid offered. Make a list of colleges that meet your most important criteria. The Peterson's College Quest program can help you do this quickly.

• Collect information about college application procedures, entrance requirements, tuition and fees, room and board costs, student activities, course offerings, faculty composition, accreditation, and financial aid. The Internet is a good way to visit colleges and obtain this information.
• Begin comparing the schools by the factors that you consider to be most important. The Guidance Office has charts that will help you with this process.
• Continue visiting colleges and college fairs. You may be able to narrow your choices or add a college to your list.
• Attend college representative visits for schools that are realistic choices for you.
• Attend the College Case Studies Night sponsored by one of the valley Catholic schools.
• Begin building your college application online at http://www.collegequest.com.
• If you are interested in one of the military academies, start the application process now. See your guidance counselor.
• Grades are due. These are important grades for you college applications. Don't let them slide.

December

• Use your vacation time to set up files for the information you collected at the College Fair and from college rep visits. Make a file for each college and a file called Essay Ideas. Whenever you think of something or have an experience that helps to define or describe who you are, jot it down and put it in this file.
• Try to visit some local schools during your break, its not too early. Definitely choose the schools you'd like to visit over spring break and start discussing this with your parents.

 

January

• Prepare for semester exams: these are critical.
• Attend the guidance Grade Level Assemblies to receive your PSAT results.
• Discuss your PSAT score with your counselor and your parents.
• Get serious about preparing for the SATs whether you are self-motivated and using a book or you need a prep class.
• Begin narrowing down your college choices. Find out if the colleges you are interested in require the SAT I, SAT II’s  or ACT for admission.
• Register for the SAT I and additional SAT II Subject Tests, which are offered several times during the winter and spring of your junior year. You can also take them again in the fall of your senior year if you are unhappy with your scores. Get the registration packets in the Guidance Office. If you are applying for extended time you need to turn in your form to the College Counselor at least two weeks before the registration deadline.
• Register for the ACT, which is usually taken in April or June and then again very late in the junior year or in the fall of the senior year, if necessary. Registration packets are available in the Guidance Office.
• Have a discussion with your parents about the colleges you are interested in. Examine financial resources and gather information about financial aid.
• Continue to update your filing system, with individual folders for each college's correspondence and printed materials. You can also track your colleges on line via CollegeQuest. Get organized now if you haven't done it already.
• Second semester begins January 27. You will have until February 4^th to make any necessary schedule changes. Remember, Colleges do not look favorably on mid-year drops, but they do look for an upward trend.

February

• Begin to think about your Senior year courses. Meet with your counselor in order to be sure you have all of your graduation requirements. Check the admissions criteria for the school that you are interested in to be sure you have met all of those requirements as well.
• Attend Juniors and Parents Night II.
• Plan to visit some colleges over the Presidents' Day long weekend.
• Discuss the college essay with your guidance counselor and/or English teacher.
• Stay involved with your extracurricular activities. Colleges look for longevity and depth in activities.

  March

• Take the SAT I.
• Register for the ACT if applicable.
• Attend the Junior Workshops at the end of the month. These will help you to be sure that you are on track.
• Consider who you will ask to write your recommendations. Ask them now so that they can make mental notes of all of the wonderful things you do this year. Teachers like to have anecdotes and examples . . . and time.
• Inquire about personal interviews at your favorite colleges. Make necessary travel arrangements.

  April

• Take the ACT.
• Write your Junior resume.

  May

• See your counselor to apply for on-campus summer programs for high school students.
• Apply for a summer job or internship.
• Figure out if you will need or want to take summer school classes.
• Call or write for early summer interview appointments if you will be visiting colleges over the summer
• Register for SAT II.
• Take AP exams, if applicable.

June

• Take at least one SAT II (Three are required for the UC system and many independent schools: Writing, Math and one more in the subject f your choice).
• Do well on your final exams (this will help you prepare for your SAT II’s as well).

Summer

• Request applications from schools you're interested in by phone, mail or via the Internet. If applications are not yet available, still request information and get on the mailing list.
• Visit the campuses of your top five college choices.
• Set up interviews at private colleges.
• After each college interview, send a thank-you letter to the interviewer.
• Talk to people you know who have attended colleges that you are interested in.
• Compose rough drafts of your college application essays. Sample questions are available in the Guidance Office. Have a teacher read and discuss them with you. Polish them and prepare final drafts in the Fall. Proofread your final essays three times.
• Practice filling out college applications and then type the final application forms or apply on line through CollegeQuest.
• Take some time to volunteer in the community.
• Develop a financial aid application plan, including a list of the aid sources, requirements for each application, and a timetable for meeting filing deadlines.  

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 Twelfth Grade Time Line

September

• Attend Senior Orientation / College Workshop

• Complete the Student Information Worksheet and turn it in to the college counselor in order to make and appointment

• Continue to take a full course load of college-prep, honors and AP courses.

• Don’t even think about surrendering to senioritis.

• Make sure you have the courses necessary for graduation.

• Continue to participate in extracurricular and community service activities.

• Demonstrate initiative, creativity, commitment, and leadership.

• All male students must register for selective service on their eighteenth birthday to be eligible for federal and state financial aid.

• Make a calendar showing application deadlines for admission, financial aid, and scholarships.

• Check resource books, computer programs, and guidance office information for scholarships and grants. Ask colleges about scholarships for which you may qualify.

• Give recommendation forms to the teachers you have chosen, along with stamped, self-addressed envelopes for reti1ming them to colleges. Be sure to fill out your name, address, and school name on the top of the form. Ask teachers who know you well and who will write positive letters about you. Letters from a coach, activity leader, or an adult who knows you well outside of school (i.e., volunteer work contact) are also valuable. Talk to them about your goals and ambitions.

• Give School Report forms to the proper school office. Fill in your name, address, and any other required information on top.

• Verify with your guidance counselor the schools to which transcripts, test scores, and letters are to be sent. Give your counselor any necessary forms at least two weeks before they are due.

 

October

• Register for and take the ACT, SAT I, or SAT II Subject Tests as necessary.

• Be sure you have requested (either by phone, mail or on line) that your test scores be sent to the colleges of your choice.

• Take advantage of Testing Day at Chaminade to visit local colleges. Visit colleges while classes are in session, if possible.

 

November

• Mail or send electronically any college applications for early decision admission by November 1.

• ROTC scholarship applications are usually due by December 1.

• Print extra copies or make photocopies of everything you send.

• Obtain the CSS Profile financial aid form from the Guidance Office if you are applying to private colleges and universities. Visit the College Counselor to determine if the private institutions to which you are applying require this form.

December

• Attend Financial Aid Night

• Take any final SAT I, SAT II or ACT

• Complete all applications with January Deadlines

• Continue to focus on your schoolwork! Your grades will be seen by colleges.

January

• Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and, if necessary, the Financial Aid Profile (FAP). These forms can be obtained from the College Counselor. You can also go http://www.ed.gov/offices/ OPE/express.html to download the forms and/or file electronically. These forms may not be processed prior to January 1.

• Mail or send electronically remaining applications and financial aid forms before winter break. Know the deadlines. Each school is different.

• Make sure you apply to at least one college you know you can afford and where you will be accepted. Follow up and check to make sure that all application information, including recommendations and test scores, is received by colleges.

• Meet with your counselor to verify that all applicable forms are in order and have been sent out to colleges.

February

• Submit the GPA verification form for the Cal Grant to the College Counselor if you are from a middle or low income family.

• Spend quality time with your friends and family. You are in the final stretch of the high school phase of your life. Enjoy it. Tell people how much they mean to you. Thank your parents for all of their help with your applications.

March

• Meet the inflexible, final deadline for the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and GPA Verification forms

• Notification of decision by colleges usually occurs, between March 15 and April 15.

• Talk about the anxiety with friends and family. It really does help. Everyone is a little more stressed than usual at this point in time.

• If you are attending a two-year school, be sure not to miss orientation days.

April

• Notification of financial aid awards usually occurs between April 1 and May 1.

• Visit and/or attend programs at the colleges and universities to which you were offered admission.

• Compare financial aid packages from colleges and universities to which you have been accepted.

May

• Make your choice and notify all schools of your intent by May 1.

• Send a deposit to your chosen school by May 1 as well.

• Take any necessary AP exams

• Fill out the form you will receive in homeroom to notify the school of your final choice so that we will automatically send a final transcript to the college in June. Inform other colleges of your decision not to attend.

• Be sure that you have received a FAFSA acknowledgement. If you applied for a Pell Grant (on the FAFSA), you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) statement. Review.

June

• Graduation . . . congratulations!  

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Last modified: December 18, 2007
Yannis Grammatis