You will need to keep track of a lot of documents and deadlines this year as you apply for college admission and financial aid. Keep the following materials well organized: copies of your transcript, testing documents and score reports, applications for admission, applications for financial aid or scholarships, and your family’s income tax forms. Add the following dates to your master calendar:

ACT test dates (and registration deadlines)

College application due dates (vary by school)

Financial aid deadlines (aid applications may be due before college applications)

FAFSA opens October 1

Last day to request JHHS teacher and counselor recommendations (November)

JHHS deadline for colleges entered and transcripts requested in Scoir (December)

Choose challenging courses for your senior year, and be prepared to work hard in them. Your performance senior year shows admissions departments that you can succeed in college, and may even earn you some college credits. Double check with your guidance counselor that you will meet graduation and college entrance requirements with your course load.

Remember!

You need to stay actively engaged in school, even after you receive your acceptance letters. Schools can rescind (take back) offers if your grades go down or you have any disciplinary action. Avoid “senioritis.” You also need to be aware of what you share on social media: students have also lost the opportunity to study at colleges after posting inappropriate material online!

Most colleges are now test optional but many seniors will retake the ACT senior year. Complete a practice test over the summer to prepare. Register to take the ACT in the fall or early winter and enter the school codes for each college on your list where you want to have your official results sent. You may have to pay additional fees to send your scores to colleges after the test.

The Hathaway and Cowboy Commitment Scholarships in Wyoming use ACT scores to calculate award amounts. Getting yours scores up just a few points can earn you thousands of extra dollars in scholarship money.

Early Decision (ED): Students who have one top choice school may choose to apply ED. Colleges with an early deadline that allows students to receive an early admission decision that is “binding,” meaning you must attend if accepted. This option is not recommended if you want to apply for and compare different financial aid offers.

Early Action (EA): Students can apply to several schools EA. This is similar to ED but is “non-binding,” meaning you can still apply to or accept offers from other schools. You will receive admission decisions earlier than if you applied Regular Decision.

Regular Decision: Deadlines will vary by college but most students will have until May 1st to decide whether to attend.

Rolling Admissions: Students can apply anytime (usually between September and July) and will receive admissions decisions within a few weeks or a month of submitting the application. It is best to apply early however, because the school may fill all available spots in the class before the end of the period.

Open Admissions: Community Colleges and Online Programs may offer admissions to all applicants with a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Students with a lower GPA may want to consider this route for 2 years and then transfer to a 4 year program.

Deferred Admissions: If you have been accepted to a particular college or university but are not ready to attend, you may want to defer your enrollment for a year, meaning you won’t start college until the fall a year after you complete high school. Consider taking a gap year if you want to obtain more financial aid, work, or explore possible careers through internships.

Decide Where to Apply

Gather information about colleges; consider location, academics, other programs and extracurriculars, size, and graduation and retention rates. Be sure to have a mix of “reach,” “target,” and “safety” schools. It’s important to have several colleges that you are sure you can get into and afford.

Once you know where you want to apply, research if the schools use the Common Application, require letters of recommendation and/or essays, and if they have testing requirements. Pay attention to deadlines for each college for both the application and for financial aid—not all deadlines are the same!

For each college on your list, complete all applications for financial aid. Most colleges require the FAFSA, and some colleges also require a form called CSS. Many colleges have another form of their own to fill out as well.

Recommendations (if required)

Request recommendations early and in person from your high school counselor, a humanities teacher, and a math/science teacher, ideally who taught you in the 11th or 12th grade. Share your final college list with each, and request that the school send your official transcript through Scoir. Thank the recommender by email with your resume attached and your list of colleges. Thank them again in the spring with a hand written thank you letter and be sure to let them know where you decide to enroll.

Essay/Personal Statement (if required)

Your essays are the way the admissions and scholarship review committees get to know you. Put some time into this and do it well before the deadline. It is important to have a teacher, counselor, or mentor help review and revise your essay. Find someone you trust who is also good at writing and ask for their help. They will be honored by the request!

Portfolio, Auditions, and Supplements (if required)

Check if any of the programs you are applying to require a portfolio, audition, or other supplement.

Apply to College!

Submit your applications to the schools you want to attend by their deadlines. Be aware that final exams for first semester and deadlines for college admissions and Teton County Scholarship Program all fall around the same time. Manage your time well and don’t procrastinate!

Fee Waivers

Most colleges charge you an application fee and there are test fees to register for the SAT and ACT. Ask your guidance counselor if you qualify for fee waivers to avoid having to pay these fees or apply for a NACAC waiver. You can also call the college admissions office yourself and explain your situation.

Apply for the FAFSA

You will need a Social Security Number to apply for the FAFSA. If you have a social security number but your parents do not, enter all 0s for your parents, print out the form, and have them sign it before you mail it in. You may be required to provide additional information for verification, but you are still eligible for aid. If you do not have a social security number, there are other ways you can apply for state or college financial aid, in addition to private scholarships and grants.

Apply for Scholarships

There are billions of dollars of scholarships available every year. You can find information on FastWeb, College Board, Scholarships.com and Cappex. This directory is specifically for scholarships without citizenship requirements.

Consider No-Loan Colleges

While many private colleges and elite public universities appear expensive, some offer no-loan financial aid to low income students. This means students that qualified students will have all of their need met by the college, meaning you only will need to pay your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC).

The price of a college includes direct billable expenses like tuition, fees, room and board (if living on campus), as well as indirect costs such as books and supplies, transportation, health insurance, and other personal expenses.

Calculate how much you and your family can contribute with savings and/or monthly earnings to your college education. Keep track of the cost of attendance at each school on your list. When you receive financial aid awards, compare all your offers and calculate your net costs (the amount you will have to pay) and choose the best fit college for you.

Understand Financial Aid

Grants: A grant is a form of gift aid (free money) based on need that doesn’t usually have to be repaid. Pell grants are the most common type of federal grant offered to students who complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). There are also grants available to teachers in training which must be repaid if the teaching agreement is not fulfilled. Other federal, state, university, and nonprofit grants are also available.

Scholarships: Many colleges as well nonprofit and private organizations offer scholarships to help students pay for college. This is another type of free money, which is sometimes based on academic merit, talent, or a particular area of study, and sometimes based on need.

Work-Study Jobs: The Federal Work-Study Program allows you to earn money to pay for school by working part-time on campus with a flexible schedule.

Loans: When you receive a student loan, you are borrowing money to attend a college. You must repay the loan as well as interest that accrues and any fees. It is important to understand your repayment options so you can successfully repay your loan. All students who file the FAFSA are eligible for some federal loans. Parents can also apply for federal Parent PLUS Loans, and if parents are not eligible for a PLUS loan, students can receive additional federal loans. There are also private loans available, often with less favorable interest rates and conditions. Students should not have loan payments that will be more than 10% of their estimated gross earnings after college.

Contact Financial Aid Offices

Get to know your financial aid staff early—they can tell you about deadlines, other aid for which you might wish to apply, and important paperwork you might need to submit. If you have questions about the aid that school has offered you, ask!

Visit the Campus (if possible)

After you know where you have been accepted, you may want to visit your top choice school(s) to help you make your final decision.

Pick Your College

Evaluate the schools where you’ve been accepted and when you make your decision, send your deposit to one college only. The decision deadline is usually May 1.

Inform Every College

Accept or decline offers of admission and/or financial aid by May 1. Complete required paperwork for your college by this deadline or you may lose your spot and any financial aid that was offered.

Wait Lists

If you were waitlisted at a school, you will need to decide if you want to accept a place on the waitlist, then accept an offer to your second choice school and pay the deposit. The likelihood of getting accepted off the waitlist depends on the school, but you should contact the college and let them know of your interest. If you do get accepted off of the waitlist and decide to go, you will forfeit your deposit at your second place school. Be sure to let that school know you no longer plan on attending.

Take AP Exams

Show what you’ve learned in your AP classes. Good scores can earn you college credit and/or advanced placement in college.

Request Transcripts

Ask your high school to send a final transcript to your college.

Thank Your Recommenders and College Counselors

A quick note of gratitude and news about where you will be going to college will go a long way.

You are going to be the first in your family to go on to college!