September

Important dates:

Sept. 3:    Classes begin

Sept. 9:  Registration deadline for the Oct. 10 SAT and Subject Tests

Sept. 14:  College representatives begin visiting Catlin Gabel this week.  See below for details.

Sept. 16:  Admissions Case Studies program for seniors and parents, 7:00 pm in the Barn

Sept. 18:  Registration deadline for Oct. 24 ACT

Sept. 28:   PODS begin meeting this week:  watch your email for details about place and times.

Other activities to pursue this month:

• Schedule an appointment with your college counselor.
  

• We’ll discuss various aspects of the college application process in PODS throughout the fall, but we want to see each member of the class individually, as well.  Stop by or drop us an email to schedule your appointments. 

• Check Naviance and the bulletin board outside the college counseling office to see when college representatives will be coming to visit.  Using Naviance, please sign up to meet college representatives when they visit the school.  If a college meeting conflicts with one of your classes, GET PERMISSION FROM THE TEACHER, at least 24 hours in advance, before you attend the college meeting.  You may not miss a class to attend a college meeting without prior permission from the teacher.

• If the colleges you want to apply to require teacher recommendations, ask the appropriate people to write on your behalf. At least five weeks before the applications are due, ask your teachers (plus employers or coaches, if relevant) to write letters of recommendation for you.  Your recommendations from people at Catlin Gabel will be sent online – we’ll give you more information about that in PODS.  Please avoid asking your teachers for recommendations at the last minute – do respect their time, and the amount of time it takes to prepare these letters.  And remember: it’s always a good idea to send thank-you notes to those who write recommendations for you, and to keep them informed of outcomes.  

• If you plan to submit supplemental material (slides of artwork, a tape of a musical performance, etc.) with your applications, assemble that material now.  Check individual college websites to see what their requirements are, and consult with your teachers about what material you want to send.  

• Look at college websites (or the home site for the Common Application, www.commonapp.org) for current online applications.  Most colleges strongly recommend that you use the online applications when possible, and some offer discounts to the application fees if you apply online.  

OCTOBER

Important dates:

Oct. 1:  Registration deadline for the November 7 SAT and Subject Tests. 

Oct. 1:  If you are applying to a college using an Early Decision or Early Action plan with a November deadline, you should absolutely, positively have asked your teachers for recommendations by this date.   

Oct. 10: SAT and Subject Tests date

Oct. 23:  (Friday)  Catlin Gabel mini-college fair.  8:00 – 10:00 am, in the Barn.  Representatives from a number of colleges will be here to meet with you.  Parents are welcome, too.

Oct. 24:  ACT test date

Oct. 30:  Registration deadline for the November 5 SAT and Subject Tests.

Other activities to pursue this month:

• PODS continue to meet this month, during the weeks of October 5, 19, and 26.  It’s important for you to attend these meetings. 

• Finalize your list of colleges.  Come and see us so we can make sure your college list has the right balance of optimism and realism, and so we can be certain that you aren’t missing out on any really terrific college “matches.”  

• Work on essays for your applications. Remember that  we look forward to working with you individually on your essays.  Make appointments to come and see us!   

• If you haven’t yet decided which teachers to ask for recommendation letters, make those decisions now (we’ll be happy to talk with you about this) and ask your teachers as soon as possible.  You want to give your teachers time to write good letters for you.

• If applying for Early Decision or Early Action at schools with early November deadlines, plan to finish your application(s) by mid-October.  Submit your application before the deadline.  (This allows more time for the college to process your material and notify you if anything is missing.) Submit financial aid information if requested from Early Decision/Early Action candidates. 

• Once your ED or EA applications are submitted, begin to prepare your applications for Regular Decision schools.  You’ll want to have these all set to go in December if you aren’t admitted ED or EA.

• Be sure to keep hard copies of each page of all application forms, including financial aid and scholarship applications.  You never know when something will go astray in the mail or in electronic transmission, or might be misfiled in a college admission office. 

NOVEMBER

Important dates:

Nov. 1-15:  Early Decision and Early Action application deadlines at many schools fall on or between these dates.   

Nov.  7:   SAT and Subject Tests date

Nov. 6:  Registration deadline for December 12 ACT

Other activities to pursue this month:

• PODS meet during the week of November 9. 

• Even if you are not applying to a school using an Early Action or Early Decision plan, we’d like everyone to have one application completed and ready to send by the middle of November.  You can use this application to test the Common Application filing system, and find out now if there are any bugs or problems with your application materials.  (Better to find out now, rather than an hour before the final deadline!)  We will talk more with you about this in PODS. 

• If you will be applying for financial aid, check to see which forms are required by the schools on your list.  Register for the CSS PROFILE if required and obtain the colleges’ own financial aid forms, if available.  The paper version of the FAFSA, a financial aid application form required by many colleges, isn’t usually available until late November, and it cannot be filed with the government until after January 1, 2010.   You can obtain information about the PROFILE at www.collegeboard.com.  Information about the FAFSA, and instructions for filing the FAFSA online, can be found at: www.fafsa.ed.gov

• Financial aid officers strongly recommend that you file the FAFSA online – this speeds up the processing and cuts down on errors.  In order to file online, you will need a personal identification number.  This can be obtained at www.pin.ed.gov, and you don’t have to wait until January 1 to get your PIN number.  (Avoid the rush – get your PIN sometime this fall, so you will be all set to go in January.)

• If you applied Early Decision or Early Action to schools with November deadlines, call the admission office(s) about ten days after the deadline to make sure your application is complete.  Some schools may still be processing the applications they’ve received, and therefore unable to give you a definite answer – ask them when you may call back to confirm receipt of all your material.  Follow up immediately if any material is missing – many colleges make their early admissions decisions before Thanksgiving, and you will be at a disadvantage if your application isn’t complete by then.  (Another good reason to submit your application well before the deadline date!)

DECEMBER

Important dates: 

Dec. 5:  SAT and Subject Test date

Dec. 12:  ACT test date

Other activities to pursue this month:

• We will schedule an evening information session about applying for financial aid from colleges in early December.  Check back with us for details of date and time.

• Many colleges have application deadlines that fall on or between January 1 and 15, so you should complete your applications for these schools by mid-December.  (If you are applying to colleges that have application deadlines that fall in February or later, you can finish your applications now, enjoy the holidays, and send the applications in mid-January.) 

• Plan to submit ALL of your applications well before the posted deadlines, to allow colleges as much time as possible to process your material and notify you if anything is missing.  And you’ll enjoy the holiday break more if you don’t have unfinished applications to worry about!    

• Be sure to keep a folder with hard copies of each page of all application forms, including financial aid and scholarship applications.  You never know when something will go astray in the mail, or might be misfiled in a college admission office.

• If you applied for Early Decision or Early Action, you should have an answer by mid-month.  If you are accepted, please come and tell us, and we’ll help you celebrate!  We need to know if you are deferred or denied admission, as well, so we can help you plan accordingly.   If the decision is deferred until spring, or you are denied, submit applications now to other colleges. 

• Keep all records, test score reports and copies of applications for admission and financial aid. Do not throw anything away or delete it from your computer until at least the end of your first year in college. Having detailed records will save you time and effort should anything be lost or should you decide to apply in the future to other colleges and scholarship programs.

• Reminder:  If you will be applying for financial aid, check to see which forms are required by the schools on your list.  Register for the CSS PROFILE if required and obtain the colleges’ own financial aid forms, if available.  The paper version of the FAFSA, a financial aid application form required by many colleges, should be available by now, but it cannot be filed with the government until after January 1, 2010.   You can obtain information about the PROFILE at www.collegeboard.com.  Information about the FAFSA, and instructions for filing the FAFSA online, can be found at: www.fafsa.ed.gov

• Financial aid officers strongly recommend that you file the FAFSA online – this speeds up the processing and cuts down on errors.  In order to file online, you will need a personal identification number.  This can be obtained at www.pin.ed.gov, and you don’t have to wait until January 1 to get your PIN number.  (Avoid the rush – get your PIN sometime this fall, so you will be all set to go in January.)

• Last but not least, before you leave for the holidays, please remember to thank the teachers who wrote recommendation letters for you!