30 Sep The College Search: Senior Year of High School

Nate Perry, Assistant Director of Enrollment, Huntington University

For high schoolers, the college search process shifts into high gear during their senior year. Here is what your students need to be doing.

Narrow your search to 3-5 schools. Apply to each of them, noting application deadlines and fee waivers (Huntington University waives the application fee of $20 if you apply and visit before December 1 of your senior year).

September: Complete applications. Schedule SAT/ACT tests and send scores to your 3-5 schools.

October-December: Work on applications for outside scholarships (check fastweb.com) and institutional scholarships. Visit these campuses again and ask to stay overnight in the residence halls to get the experience of residence life.

January: Start working on Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For Indiana residents, you MUST have this completed by March 10 to qualify for state grants. Retake SAT/ACT and resend to 3-5 choice schools.

February-March: Finalize FAFSA and submit to schools (each have a specific code like 001803).

April-May: Await financial aid award letter from schools to arrive in mailbox.  Compare each of them and decide what’s going to be the best value (noting that each school has something different to offer and that the investment won’t be identical). Be aware of any student deposit deadlines. At Huntington University, the student deposit is $100 and is required before a student can register for classes.

June-July: Attend Registration Weekend and sign up for classes.

August: Make multiple Wal-Mart runs to purchase all those goodies for college (bean bag chair, desk supplies, desk calendar, and laundry soap!).