SEPTEMBER

• Keep your commitment to take challenging courses. Your senior year matters!

• Attend the MNPS/Davidson County College Fair, Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at the Tennessee State Fair Grounds from 5-8 p.m. Over 130 colleges and universities from across the country will be represented! It's a great chance to make personal contact with admissions officers and get lots of free information.

• Finalize your list of reasonable choices.  Include at least one “long shot”, one “target”, and one “safe” school.  Your first choice might very well be a school to which you are a likely candidate for admission.  However, you should include at least one safe choice on your list of colleges.

•      Once you have narrowed your list of colleges to a recommended maximum of six, you need to request application materials.  You may call or write a college admission’s office to request materials, or visit the college's webpage. Most colleges have online applications, and actually prefer students apply this way.

• Attend meetings with college representatives who visit JOHS.  Keep in mind that the representatives who visit us will more than likely be the ones to present your case to the admissions team at their college:  MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION! For a list of colleges visiting, go to the "Colleges Visiting Overton-Schedule" on this webpage.
• Register for the October ACT or November SAT if you have not taken the test or want to retest. Obtain packets in Guidance or register online.
• Complete and turn in to your counselor the Recommendation Request Form before you ask her to write a recommendation. Allow 2 weeks after you turn in the form before you need your letter!
• Begin work on application essays/ focus on good grades this semester.
• Remember that the grades you make this semester will be an important ingredient in the way college admissions committees view your academic seriousness.  Your first semester grades will be the last ones they see before deciding whether to admit you to their school.
• Decide how you will actually apply:  paper application, or online at the school’s website. Most universities prefer for students to apply online.

OCTOBER

• Mark your calendar for Financial Aid Night in the Overton library (date/time to be announced). Plan to attend with your parents. James Snider from TSAC (Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation) will be doing a presentation, along with a local college financial aid counselor. Lots of great information to help you pay for college!
• Please do not push deadlines.  It is to your advantage to file your application early.  Most colleges admit that early applications automatically receive more attention because they demonstrate the student’s sincere interest in a school. Early applicants for need based or academic collegiate scholarships also tend to get the lion's share of the monies colleges distribute. This is true with some FAFSA grants as well.
• Early decision deadlines and scholarship deadlines may be as early as October 15.

Do not allow lack of planning on your part to create an emergency on our part.  Submit your Transcript Requests, Recommendation Letter Requests, and/or College Application Requests at least two weeks before your college's application deadline .

• The college to which you are applying may require official copies of your test scores.  Some schools require test scores submitted directly from ACT/SAT.  Check the websites of the colleges to see what they require.
• Complete a Transcript Request form for each application you submit.  Your transcript includes your grades and the school profile which explains the grading system. Currently, MNPS transcripts do NOT include your ACT/SAT score.

NOVEMBER

• Use your college visiting days well.  MNPS allows a maximum of 2 excused days for college visits. These days will be counted against your exemption from final exams, but will be excused if pre-approved. Request the visit day with your AP's office two weeks beforehand and bring a letter from the college for proof of your visit.
• Teacher Recommendations - If the colleges to which you are applying require a recommendation from a teacher, choose and ask a teacher who you feel knows you the best and will represent you well.  Give your teacher a copy of your recommendation request information form.  ALLOW AT LEAST 2 WEEKS TO COMPLETE A RECOMMENDATION FORM.
• Provide an addressed and stamped envelope with the appropriate college forms and a copy of your senior information sheet attached.
• This will be your last chance to sign up for and take the SAT or ACT in this year’s admission pool.

DECEMBER

• All college applications and transcript requests which need to be sent out before winter break  are due in the Guidance Center by the first Monday in December. Applications that have a February 1 deadline should also be turned in by that date.
• Since we do not return until January, all Transcript Requests submitted after the deadline will be sent out in late January.  Please remember that Counselor Reports will be processed in the order they are received…not in the order of urgency for you.
• If you expect your counselor to write an effective recommendation for you, then allow sufficient time to process your recommendation.
• Ace your semester exams—they matter!
• Request Mid-Year transcripts to be mailed to the colleges to which you are applying.
• Begin to get paperwork together for filing the FAFSA asap after January 1. Your parents can use last years IRS tax return to estimate information on the FAFSA, then update later after they have filed this year's taxes. The FAFSA is the federal financial form, needed for both public and private schools. It may be filed anytime after January 1 (and the filing of federal income tax forms for 2007). Remember, the lottery scholarships require the FAFSA! Everyone should file a FAFSA regardless of your plans after high school!
• Don’t ask to drop challenging courses.  Colleges could withdraw their offer!  

  Get a FAFSA PIN # (personal identification number) prior to filing your FAFSA. Parents and students each need a PIN#. It takes 72 hours for a number to be assigned, so do this a few days before you file your FAFSA form. The website to get a PIN# is: http://www.pin.ed.gov

JANUARY

• Welcome back to your last semester of high school!
• Get a FAFSA PIN (if you didn't in December) prior to filing your FAFSA. Parents and students each need a PIN#. It takes 72 hours for a number to be assigned, so do this a few days before you file your FAFSA form. The website to get a PIN# is: http://www.pin.ed.gov
• Complete and file your FAFSA as soon as possible beginning January 1st.  Some aid is distributed on a first come, first served basis, with priority deadlines as early as March 1st. Federal Income Tax information is required, however, if your parents have not filed taxes yet, you can still file a FAFSA anytime after Jan. 1st using estimated information from last year's taxes, then updating it after this year's taxes are filed. FAFSA’s web site is: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

FEBRUARY

• If you haven’t already done so, visit schools to which you applied.
• Wait.

MARCH

• SPRING BREAK --- ENJOY!

APRIL

• By April 15, you should hear from all colleges.  Use the two weeks before May 1 to make your final decision.
• Register for Advanced Placement exams. Even if you are unsure how well you may do, these are great practice!
• Notify all colleges which have accepted you of your final decision.
• Notify colleges who have put you on their waiting list if you wish to remain on it.
• Don’t develop Senioritis!   All college acceptances are conditional pending receipt of final grades in June.

MAY

• Reply to the college you choose.  Do not place a deposit with more than one college:  it is unethical and you can be dropped by both colleges if discovered.
• Fill out a Final Transcript Request for the college you will attend.  You must make this request in writing to release your transcript.