Planning Timeline

• Don't fool yourself into thinking that you can wait to "get serious" later! Your grades now really do matter! 

• If you need help with any of your classes, ask the teacher for help or sign up for tutoring! Click here for more information.

• Choose classes that CHALLENGE and INTEREST you.  If you can handle honors courses, take them! Click here to read more about what colleges want in an applicant.

• Think about careers that might interest you. Click here for more guidance on career exploration. 

• If you plan to go to a four-year college after high school, start preparing for those big college entrance exams NOW! Check out sat.org and act.org for FREE test preparation tools.

• Get involved! Join a club, play a sport, be part of the school play, take dance or karate classes, join your church youth group, volunteer (click here for volunteer opportunities).  

• Build a good reputation! Some day you'll be asking your teachers and coaches to serve as job references and to write letters of recommendation for you. Make sure you give them great things to say about you!

• If you hope someday to be in the National Honor Society, check out their requirements NOW. Click here to go to the CYHS NHS website to learn what they want to see in a candidate. Once on their website, be sure to check out their Documents for Prospective-New Members!

• If you are an athlete planning to participate in sports at college, meet with your school counselor to discuss NCAA eligibility requirements. Details can be found at the NCAA Eligibility Center website.

• Make sure you are earning grades that you'll be proud of later!

• If you're headed to college, make sure you are studying for the SAT and ACT. Helpful details can be found here.

• Keep a list of the activities that you're doing (clubs, sports, music, volunteering). If your list is rather skimpy, get involved! 

• Choose your classes wisely, based on the careers you are interested in pursuing. Click here for more guidance on career exploration. 

• If you're hoping to be invited to the National Honor Society, make sure you're going to qualify. Click here to go to the NHS website to learn what they want to see in a candidate. And click here to learn more about what colleges want to see.

• Talk with your parents about how you will pay for college.  For more info, visit our Financial Aid page.

• Start looking at your post-secondary options. Use the links on the left to research and be sure to read about upcoming opportunities that are advertised in the weekly You Got It message from CYHS administration. If you're considering college, visit college fairs and meet with admissions representatives that come to Central. 

September

• Look out for information from the School Counseling Office about the upcoming junior test day! In October, all juniors will take EITHER the PSAT or the ASVAB. If you're going to a four-year college, you should definitely choose the PSAT. This is the ONLY time you can take the PSAT, but the ASVAB could be taken in the spring, so students considering college should DEFINITELY choose the PSAT for their October test! Students who are not interested in college can take the ASVAB to learn more about their abilities and interests as they plan for their future. Learn more about the PSAT here and about the ASVAB here. 

• Review your list of the clubs, activities, and volunteer hours you've accomplished. Become more involved if you feel like you should.

October

• If you're college-bound, take the PSAT! If you're not considering college, take the ASVAB!

• Continue to explore careers.

• Attend college fairs and financial aid nights and sign up to visit with college admissions representatives who are visiting Central. 

November/December

• Earn strong grades! The junior year grades are EXTREMELY important to college admissions, military recruiters and employers.

• Continue your research in potential colleges and careers.  

• If you're headed to college, start looking for scholarships. Learn more at our Financial Aid website.

• If you took the PSAT, listen carefully to the guidance of your school counselor when you receive your results. Decide whether you will take the SAT or the ACT and step up your test preparation efforts! Get more information on our College Admissions Testing page.

January/February

• Obtain a Social Security Number if you don't already have one.  You will need it to apply for schools and for financial aid. 

• Meet with your school counselor to discuss your preliminary list of schools and whether these schools meets your needs and interests and whether you are considering colleges where you are likely to be admitted.

• If you are heading to a four-year college, register and study for the spring SAT and/or ACT exams.

March/April

• If you are heading to a four-year college, register and study for the May and June SAT and/or ACT exams.

• Consider signing up to take the ASVAB to learn more about the careers that suit your abilities and interests, even if you're not interested in going into the military! This test is especially awesome for students who took the PSAT in the fall. 

• Request admission and financial aid information from the schools on your list.

• Work with your school counselor to ensure that you will have a challenging senior year of courses. If you are a student athlete planning to participate in sports at college, also discuss NCAA eligibility requirements with your school counselor. Details can be found at the NCAA Eligibility Center website. 

• Schedule visits the schools on your list. Be sure to have your parent submit the absence in Skyward before you go and bring back a note from the college to verify your visit.  

• Start identifying teachers who are willing to write recommendation letters for you.

• Begin preparing essays for college admissions and scholarship applications.

• If you are heading to a four-year college, continue reviewing for the SAT or ACT.  Take your test of choice a second time in June.

• Check out this article for more tips: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/la-grange/lifestyles/ct-dlg-mash-college-prep-tl-0423-20150417-story.html

May

• Take AP exams if appropriate.   

• Firm up your summer plans, including visits to other colleges on your list, internships, or summer jobs.

June - August

• Continue contemplating careers & colleges.  Visit the colleges on your list.    

• If you are heading to a four-year college, begin drafting the college admissions essays that you will need this fall.

• Continue searching for scholarships and grants, using resources in the CYHS Guidance and School Counseling Office and online.

September

• Finalize your plans for after graduation. If you will be applying to college or other post-secondary schools, start applying NOW.

• Consider visits, overnight stays, and interviews at your top school choices. Visit any schools on your list that you have not already seen.

• If you are applying to four-year college, register for one last shot at the SAT or ACT if you aren't happy with your earlier scores.  Be sure to take the SAT Subject tests if they are required by the schools you are considering. 

• Ask teachers, school counselors, and employers for letters of recommendation to include with your college and scholarship applications.

• Be sure your senior schedule still includes challenging college preparatory courses.

• Meet with admissions representatives who are visiting your school.

• If you are a student athlete planning to participate in sports at college, register online with the NCAA Clearinghouse now. The NCAA determines final eligibility.

October/November

• Submit your FAFSA at www.studentaid.gov.

• Submit applications to colleges and post-secondary schools. Use Parchment to request that your transcript is sent from Central to the schools to which you are applying. 

• Finalize drafts of your college essays, but only after numerous edits, rewrites and reviews by people you trust such as family members and teachers.

• If you're considering a career in the military, take the ASVAB test. Sign up in the Counseling Office!

• Attend college fairs and financial aid nights.

December

• Stay focused on your grades ALL YEAR LONG. Even if you are accepted by your college of choice now, they can still rescind your acceptance if your senior year grades are not acceptable!
   
• Apply for outside funding or scholarships.
   
• Finish submitting college apps, if needed.

January/February

• If you applied to colleges, their decision letters should begin arriving. Celebrate your acceptances, decide about your wait lists, and deal positively with your rejections.

• Continue applying for scholarships.

March/April

• Continue to work hard in your classes. Now is NOT the time to let your grades slide!  Remember that the colleges that have accepted you can STILL rescind your acceptance if your senior year grades are not acceptable!  

May/June

• Make final commitments for your plans after graduation. If you're headed to college or post-secondary school, submit all necessary paperwork and make deposits.

•  Log on to www.parchment.com and order your final transcript to go to the college that you plan to attend. (Remember to change "Send Now" to "Hold for Grades" so that we'll know you want it sent after graduation.)

• Congratulations on your graduation!