College Application Process — Planning Timeline

Freshman Year

• Get to know your school counselor
• Earn the best grades you can
• Take the most challenging (but appropriate) courses you can
• Read, even when not assigned for school, on a regular basis
• Depending on your courses, you might take an SAT II: Subject Test at the end of the year; talk with your counselor
• If your family travels over spring break or during the summer, and if you pass near a college campus, stop and take the tour
• In addition to enjoying your time off, plan to do something constructive with your summer vacation
• It is helpful to start researching possible colleges. Register with collegeboard.com so it can help assist you with your search.

Sophomore Year

• Stay in touch with your school counselor
• Students will take the PSAT in the fall at Marple Newtown High School.
• Remain involved in school and community activities: follow your passions!
• Earn the best grades you can
• Continue to take the most challenging courses you can
• Continue to read for pleasure
• Depending on the courses you take this year, it is even more likely that you would consider an SAT II: Subject Test at the end of the school year; talk with your counselor
• Continue to take advantage of college visits if your family is near a college-- just to get a feel for the different types of colleges there are
• Use your free time in the summer productively, while also enjoying your time off
• Continue to use collegeboard.com. You may view your PSAT scores through this website.

Junior Year

• Stay involved in school and community activities. Try to strive for leadership responsibility within those organizations.
• You should be gathering information and researching colleges throughout this year.
• Students will take the PSAT in the fall at Marple Newtown High School.
• In the fall, you should meet with your counselor to create a preliminary list of colleges.
• In the fall, college representatives will visit Marple Newtown High School. Sign up in the Counseling office for some of the visitations.
• In the fall or winter, you may want to do some extra preparation for the SAT/ACT.
• Most students will take the SAT I in the spring (for the first time). Remember you need to register for it several weeks in advance.
• Spring break is a good time to visit college campuses.
• The end of junior year is another good time to take SAT II’s. Talk to your counselor about this.
• Towards the end of your junior year, ask the teachers who you would like to write letters of recommendation if they can do so over the summer.
• Over the summer, you should fine tune your college list and visit college campuses.
• Continue to use collegeboard.com. Use the SAT online prep course provided by the collegeboard.com.

Senior Year

• Don't forget how important your grades continue to be: the first semester grades really count!
• Continue to use collegeboard.com.
• Stay involved in either in-school or community activities. Try to strive for leadership responsibility within those organizations.
• Continue to meet with your counselor to refine your list down to a manageable list of colleges where you will definitely apply. (You will probably want at between 3-5 schools on your list.)
• You may want to take further standardized tests (SAT I, SAT II, or ACT). Remember you need to register several weeks in advance.
• In the fall, college representatives will visit Marple Newtown High School. Sign up in the Counseling office for some of the visitations.
• STAY AWARE OF APPLICATION DEADLINES
• By Thanksgiving time, you should have sent your college applications to the majority of the colleges on your list.
• On January 1, you may begin to fill out the FASFA form (financial aid).
• Take advantage of interviews when given the opportunity
• As you receive decisions from colleges, please notify the counseling office.