College Checklists for High School Juniors And Seniors

The school year may be coming to a close, but there's still college planning work to do. Keep the following in mind:

For Juniors
• List, compare and visit colleges
• Take the ACT
• Prepare a target list of college campus visits
• Prepare questions for each visit
• Compare college costs 

For Seniors
• If not already done, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) right away and submit it for financial aid consideration
• Watch for the Student Aid Report (SAR), which should arrive in your mail about four weeks after the FAFSA is filed
• Visit colleges that have invited you to enroll
• Track important financial aid and scholarship deadlines, submitting forms as needed
• Compare financial aid packages offered by different schools
• Decide which school to attend and notify the school
• Track and observe deadlines for submitting all required fees and paperwork to the school
• Notify the schools you will not be attending of your decision
• Read, sign and send in the promissory note if borrowing money
• Notify the college you will be attending of any outside scholarships you received
• Have your counselor send your final transcript in May orJune to the college you will be attending

For more information, check with the college office at your child's high school.