College Admissions: Grade-by-Grade College Prep Checklist

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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Jodi Walder, GoLocalPDX College Admissions Expert

Here’s a handy checklist for 9th-11th graders to ensure you stay on track for college admissions.

9th Grade

Take the most rigorous classes you can handle, and review after first semester
Understand your GPA and why it matters
Understand standardized tests and create a general timeline for taking them
Find one extracurricular and one service venue that you will commit to for four years
Start a record/hour log of activities, awards and service
Explore your interests
Visit colleges when your family travels
Read for pleasure, keep a vocab log, play family word games
Job shadow your parents
Athletes and artists- capture video
Use your summer well
Ask your parents to run college financial calculators

10th Grade

Continue to take challenging courses and plot your courses through high school
Take the optional PSAT and set a testing timeline
Take on additional responsibility in your primary extracurricular and service area
Start a college visit journal and visit a small, medium and large school
Start attending college admission rep info sessions at your school and in town
Attend local college fair
Take an interests, values and personality assessment
Job shadow at least three family friends
Apply for summer internships or a summer job or take a summer community college class
Athletes and artists-hone skills, capture video, work on portfolio/sign up on recruiting sites
Register on scholarship match websites
Do test prep the summer between 10th-11th grade

11th Grade

Continue to take challenging classes including honors, AP or IB in subjects that interest you
Get your school Naviance login and create account
Attend local college fair (again!)
Identify college characteristics that are important and create initial list (20-30 schools)
Use days off from school for college visits
Plan and take a spring break college visit tour
Do very detailed school specific research and keep notes
Continue attending college admission rep visits at your school and in town
Take a benchmark ACT and the PSAT in the fall
Prep and take the ACT or SAT in the spring
Take SAT Subject tests (only for very selective colleges) in May or June
Athletes register with NCAA Clearinghouse
Make it a point to get to know at least two teachers very well; request rec letters in May
Get a copy of your end-of-year transcript!

If you are a senior and need month-by-month guidance, check out last week’s slideshow.

Jodi Walder-Biesanz is the founder of Portland, Oregon-based College Admission Coach LLC which helps students identify and gain admission to right-fit schools where they will thrive academically and personally. Contact her at [email protected].