<p>My S will be a senior this year ( #2 of 478, 610CR, 740M and 800W good ECs) Has there been a timeline of application milestones posted anywhere previously? Should the common app be underway? What about narrowing the potential college field? Individual applications? Letters of recommendation? How many SAT attempts? This whole process seems a bit overwhelming, and I've been paying attention for a year or two already! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>The thing you need to do now is start your personal statement. you will probably end up using it on most or all college apps and scholarship apps. in august or sept you need to start planning college visits. you should have already found schools you like based on whatever factors are important to you. in late sept-nov visit. if you want to do ED or EA you’ll have to move at a quicker pace. you probably should have had the SAT taken already. you shouldn’t take any one test more than twice, but some people still take more and do fine. you should have most tests taken so you can have the results to send to the colleges. you can take more later and then update your scores. sept you should have the common app started sept-oct you should be on suppliments. nov you should pick your recs and give them the paper work.</p>
<p>oh sorry i just reread your post and realized you were a parent. insert “he” and “his” in the appropriate spots.</p>
<p>I’ll try to answer based on my limited knowledge…</p>
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<p>I’m not aware of one on CC, but the collegeboard.com posts this: [High</a> School Senior - college admissions, financial aid, and SAT tests](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>How to Start Planning for College in the 12th Grade – BigFuture | College Board) to get you started.</p>
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<p>The common app is released on July 1. So, other than looking at the prototype (which I can’t find right now) and thinking about essay topics, there’s not much to do until then. </p>
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<p>Yes. Start making a list and - if you like - visit colleges in person. </p>
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<p>When you have a list of schools to which your son would like to apply, you have to research whether they take the common app or have their own. </p>
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<p>He’ll probably need them. Use this summer to work up a “resume” for teachers to crib from. Also, it’s been recommended that your son should also remind a teacher about a time that in class that had significant impact on the learning environment over all or his grade specifically.</p>
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<p>I think 2 is typical. And usually at least one is done before 12th grade. If you son hasn’t taken any, he should plan to register for Oct (definitely) and then perhaps Nov or Dec. Also, consider the ACT. Many kids do better on that than the SAT.</p>
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<p>Yes, it is. Come join us on the <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/544629-parents-class-2010-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/544629-parents-class-2010-a.html</a> thread. :)</p>
<p>Thank you everyone11</p>
<p>I’ll try to post a timeline from memory/experience and give advice/pointers that helped me or would have helped me:</p>
<p>Summer: Create College List - Have 15 or so and then start narrowing, either through visits, research, virtual tours, etc. Also prepare for standardized tests if not complete. </p>
<p>July 1st: Common App opens (Most of the supplements are still not available, but the main essay, short answer questions are. I really wish I had started during the summer rather than wait to work on it/edit it).</p>
<p>September: Take the ACT if you want/need to </p>
<p>Also during the month colleges not on the Common App and Common App supplements will begin to open up. I suggest that you begin completing those as well as prepare for any standardized test that remains.</p>
<p>First Day of School Task: Ask Teachers for recs and request transcripts, get this step done early in the school year, so teachers will be able to write D/S a good rec and not a rushed one towards the deadline. (My suggestion, schedule a time with the teacher to talk about class times that were memorable/demonstrate D/S talents and abilities). </p>
<p>October: First option for SAT, SAT II’s (Might be the last if applying Early)</p>
<p>At the end of October/start of November Early Apps are due, so continue working on those. </p>
<p>November: Most Early (SCEA, ED, EA are all due during this month including UC’s) Some colleges will accept a rushed/electronic version of the November SAT/SAT II, so be on the look out if you need the tests.</p>
<p>Also on a side note if you are satisfied but not entirely pleased with your SAT scores, you can retake for almost free. It costs $9.95 per score report, but only $41.50 for the SAT where you get 4 reports for free. This means that you would spend $40 for sending scores to schools or you could spend $40 get the scores sent and another crack at the SAT. </p>
<p>November-December: Continue working on college apps for RD deadline. Note that many schools have rolling admissions, such as state schools so get that app out of the way early. Also some colleges have priority deadlines (Harvard and USC come to mind) that are in December, so be on the lookout for those. For USC you get consideration in scholarships and Harvard allows a more flexible interview scheduling (no other benefit).</p>
<p>December: Mid Dec. Will be the time that Early decisions are released. </p>
<p>Try to put the finishing touches on apps remember that often the Common App server is prone to crashing and down time as you get closer to the deadline (often Jan 1st of 2nd for a bunch of schools).</p>
<p>January: Most apps are due (so they should be done). </p>
<p>January-March: Sit back and relax, your S/D is a second semester senior. Be on the lookout for scholarships (note: some scholarships open earlier, so it is good to always be on the lookout for scholarships and what worked for me was to keep an Excel file up to date (update weekly) with ongoing scholarships, what it required, etc.)</p>
<p>March-April: Decisions from colleges will be on the way back in the mail. This is the time of joy and sadness (for most). I was accepted early so did not go through this process and was very happy during this time, while many friends experienced disappointment and frustration, so you should consider early schools. Once letters are back narrow the list and pick the school right for you and don’t look back.</p>
<p>May: In the beg. of May most deposits are due. As an amendment to the looking back, if you get of the waitlist at a school, you should probably look back, otherwise keep looking forwards. </p>
<p>June-August: I guess enjoy summer, maybe try to secure an internship or simply relax. I am sort of in that stage right now, just working and preparing for college. </p>
<p>Hope this provides the timeline that you were looking for. Please feel free to ask questions if something isn’t completely clear.</p>
<p>Vasudevank, your advice was absolutely amazing! Thanks so much! I’m a rising senior, and I will definitely keep all that you said in mind :)</p>
<p>NP, if you have any questions please feel free to ask.</p>