College Preparation Timeline
Freshmen
- Start thinking about careers. Utilize the interest inventory assessments (Matchmaker) in Career Cruising to explore careers that match your interests. What classes can you take during high school to prepare?
- Document awards, honors, volunteer activities, employment history, and extra-curriculars. This will help with college and scholarship applications later on.
- Participate in a summer exploration camp or workshop!
- Attend BWCAN's "Parents, Kids, and College" event at the high school
Sophomores
- Retake the Matchmaker assessment in Career Cruising. Have potential careers changed? Start looking at what type of education is needed for those careers, and explore potential schools.
- Continue to document awards, honors, volunteer activities, employment history, and extra-curriculars.
- Learn about your high school options: TEC programs, Blue Water Middle College, dual enrollment, AP classes. Meet with the counselor and college adviser to see which of these options is best for you.
- Attend BWCAN's "Parents, Kids, and College" event at the high school
Juniors
- Sign up for and attend college rep visits in the fall.
- Take the PSAT in the fall. Connect those scores with your Kahn Academy SAT Prep account and STUDY, STUDY, STUDY for the SAT in the spring.
- Attend BWCAN's "College Application Tool Kits" event at the high school.
- Take the SAT in the spring. Retake the SAT in June.
- Start visiting college campuses, either on school campus tours or on your own. Register for an official campus visit if going on your own. Keep track of your likes/dislikes at each campus.
- Research college application deadlines to prepare for fall of senior year.
Seniors
Summer/early Fall
- Narrow down list of schools to which you want to apply.
- Start college applications
Fall
- Meet with the counselor and college adviser.
- Sign up for and attend college rep visits.
- Finish all college applications before November 1 (ideally). Make sure to be aware of early college-specific scholarship deadlines.
- Complete the FAFSA (opens October 1).
Winter
- Complete the FAFSA if not already done.
- Check colleges' websites for private/institutional scholarship application(s).
- Check front office for local scholarship applications.
Spring
- Complete and submit local scholarship applications.
- Review financial aid award letters from schools, compare financial aid packages.
- Decide where you will go to school.
- Submit enrollment deposit / housing contract.
- Sign up for and attend orientation, placement exams.
Blue Water College Access Network (BWCAN)
BWCAN is the local college access network in St. Clair County. It provides college prep programming for grades K-12, such as:
- Middle School Decision Day
- Parents, Kids & College
- College Application Tool Kits
- Ask An Expert series (essay writing, scholarship workshop, financial aid award letter seminar)
BWCAN also teams with, provides funding for, and supports college advisers throughout the county - like the one at Capac High School!
BWCAN maintains an email list of parents and students who want to receive notifications of programs, activities, events, and other information related to going to college or other post-secondary education. It's free and easy. Sign up for BWCAN newsletters here.