College Admissions Timeline by Grade Level

Freshman Year 

• You've just become a St. Michael Cardinal, so take some time getting used to your new surroundings, making new friends, and taking advantage of all the resources available to you. 
• Strengthen your faith through prayer and reflection in our chapel and during attendance at weekly Mass.
• Challenge yourself to excel in your courses. Be curious, gain knowledge, and sharpen your critical thinking skills. You have begun establishing the academic record with which you will apply to colleges and universities later on. 
• Get involved! Explore the extracurricular opportunities on offer. Cultivate your interests by joining clubs, being active in your House, and thinking about pursuing leadership positions in student government. Play sports. Seek to become a true scholar-athlete.
• Take advantage of your summer by volunteering, working, or taking a special interest class. 
• Explore books! Read, read, read! 

Sophomore Year

• Continue to sharpen your skills as a student by taking courses which challenge you. Be willing to stretch and flex your mental muscles. You are now in the process of maturing and becoming more academically self-disciplined, attributes which will serve you well in college. 
•  If you haven't already done so, consider making efforts to move to the front of the pack by assuming leadership roles whenever possible. Even if you aren't the sole leader of a group, active participation in group activities is a form of leadership. 
• If you excel in athletics or fine arts, talk to your coach or teacher to get an honest assessment of your abilities in these areas. His or her comments and advice may play a significant role in your college selection process.
• You will be taking the pre-ACT this year. Consider also signing up for and taking the ACT in the second semester of this year or the summer, which will give you an idea of the academic areas that need your efforts most. 
• It is not too early to get in a few college visits, especially toward the end of sophomore year. Family vacations often present excellent opportunities to see nearby schools that interest you. 

Junior Year

• The college selection process begins in earnest this year. You will be working with Mrs. Thomason both individually and as a class to get the process formally underway. 
  • Individual junior meetings will begin in January of your junior year
• Begin thoroughly researching colleges and universities to develop your application list.  You always want to consider a range of possibilities, including a few "Beat" schools, several "Meet" schools, and one or two "Treat" schools. 
  • Beat Schools - An institution where your GPA and test scores beat the average for the accepted students and the institutions acceptance rate is above 50%.  
  • Meet Schools - An institution where your GPA and test scores meet the average for the accepted students and the acceptance rate is above 30%
  • Treat Schools - An institution where your GPA and test scores may meet or beat the average for their accepted students, but their acceptance rate is below 30%.  
• Visit colleges and universities! (See "Planning a College Visit" below.) 
• Have a candid discussion with your parents about college costs and the family's ability to contribute. Fill out the FAFSA4caster (see link in "College Counseling Quick Links") to get a clearer picture of your family's expected portion of the college bill. Remember . . . the sticker price of a school is seldom what the admitted student actually ends up paying after scholarships and grants, so many institutions of national reputation, though seemingly costly, may be financially realistic possibilities for you. This is where your efforts as a student at St. Michael might literally pay off - good applicants can sometimes negotiate financial aid packages with the colleges to which they apply. 
• Complete the Net Price Calculator (NPC) for the schools in which you are interested. 
• You will be taking the PSAT in the fall of your junior year. Along with your parents and Mrs. Thomason, consider your performance on the test to get a clearer picture of your academic strengths and weaknesses. 
• Sign up for and take the ACT or SAT, ideally once in the fall and once toward the end of junior year. Do not underestimate the value of test preparation in the form of practice questions and tests! 
• Since fall of your senior year is college application time, take advantage of the summer to strengthen your resume (and thus your appeal to colleges and universities) by engaging in personal enhancement and academic growth. Classes, sports, volunteer work and summer travel programs with a specific academic orientation are excellent ways to do this. 
• Continue to strengthen your faith by developing a prayer life  including requests for spiritual guidance in this exciting and important new phase of your life. 

Senior Year 

• As your last year at St. Michael begins and you start the college application process, don't lose focus in your classes. Continue to challenge yourself and maintain high standards for your academic work. 
• If you haven't already done so, turn your attention to any essays that will be required on your college applications, revising and receiving feedback from multiple sources. Not all schools require essays, but those that do take them seriously and expect a high level of creativity and effort to be evident in them. For an idea of what you might be asked to write about, see the Common Application website (see "College Advising Quick Links" above) for its annual sampling of essay prompts. 
• If you plan to apply for early action, early decision, or rolling admissions, you will in most cases be expected to do so by November 1st. Plan accordingly. Mrs. Thomason can help you identify the best plan of action. Decisions regarding these types of applications usually go out by mid-December. 
• Almost all other college applications are due by January 1st. 
• In the fall you and your family will be filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as a starting point in your search for monetary assistance to attend college. Even if you do not expect to qualify for need-based aid, most schools require this free application as a baseline assessment in their decisions regarding any form of financial help, including loans and scholarships. 
• There is still time in the fall to register for and take the ACT or SAT. An increasing number of colleges and universities have begun superscoring (taking the highest score in each subtest), so even if your composite score doesn't increase, you may benefit from this one final attempt before submitting admissions applications. 
• By March and April, colleges and universities are in the process of sending out decisions regarding almost all applications they have received up to that point. May 1st is a widely-acknowledged final date for schools to notifity applicants of their admissions status. At this point, you may be considering various offers of acceptance as well as financial aid packages. Your family, friends, teachers, and administrators can all be of help as you make your decision. Most of all, pray for guidance and clarity as you take this important step in your life. 
• Enjoy the rest of your time at St. Michael. Make good memories to take with you. Be proud of your accomplishments during your years as a Cardinal!