August
u Review your high school coursework and
activity plans.
u Keep in mind that colleges look for the
following:
- challenging coursework
- a strong GPA
- involvement in extracurricular activities
such as sports, volunteer work, or church.
u Obtain a Social Security Number if you don't
already have one. You will need it to apply for
college and financial aid.
u Sign up for Educaid's FREE monthly
e-mail CollegeBound Newsletter at
www.educaid.com.
September
u Identify sources of college and career
information at your school. Start looking
through guidance publications, college
catalogs, and guidebooks.
u Put together a list of 10 colleges that you
would like to attend. Plan to apply to at least
3-5 schools.
u Talk to your parents and your high school
counselor about where you want to go
to school.
u Study and register for the Preliminary
Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT).
u Obtain dates and locations of college fairs and
"parent nights" in your local area.
October
u Take the PSAT and National Merit Scholar-
ship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). Remember
to take your calculator.
u Inquire about Advanced Placement (AP) or
summer college courses that may be available
to you.
u Attend college fairs and financial aid/parent
nights.
November
u Start looking into eligibility requirements
for federal and alternative student loans. A
good source of FREE, up-to-date information
on low-cost student loans is Educaid. Helpful
customer service representatives
at Educaid can be reached weekdays at
1-877-318-2368.
u Call (800) 4-FED-AID and ask for free copies
of financial aid materials, including the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA).
December
u Your PSAT/NMSQT score report should
arrive.
u Start planning to take the SAT I and/or SAT
II exams, if necessary. You may also need to
take the ACT. Check with the colleges you
are applying to and find out specific testing
requirements. Ask your high school counselor
about registration deadlines.
January
u Go through the catalogs of the 3-5 schools that
interest you the most.
u During your college visits, make sure you
meet with an admissions representative and a
financial aid officer to find out what types of
aid are available.
u Attend financial aid nights, if you have not
already done so.
February
u Start seriously investigating private scholar-
ships and other student aid programs. Ask
your teachers and counselor if any local
organizations offer free use of a scholarship
search program.
u Go to www.scholarships.com to review scholar-
ships available to you.
u Register and study for the SAT (I and II) and/
or ACT exams.
March
u Continue investigating outside funding sources.
u Register and study for the SAT and/or the
ACT exams, if you have not already done so.
u For more information about financial aid and
answers to your questions, visit Educaid's
website at www.educaid.com.
April
u Begin scheduling visits to each of the 3-5
schools that are on your final list. If
appropriate, apply for an interview and/or an
overnight visit.
u Consider taking the Advanced Placement (AP)
exams while information is fresh in your mind.
u Take an SAT prep course to help prepare for
the upcoming test.
u Begin preparing essays for college admissions
and scholarship applications.
Junior
May
u Take the SAT (I and II) and/or the ACT
exams.
u Take Advanced Placement (AP) exams which
are given in high schools nationally in early to
mid-May.
u Be aware of the test dates and registration
deadlines for the remaining SAT I and SAT II
exams. You may take them during your senior
year in high school.
u Continue compiling information to find out
which organizations award scholarships to
graduating seniors. (You may have to begin
applying the summer after your Junior year.)
June
u Take the SAT (I and II) and/or ACT exams if
you did not take them last month.
u Read a variety of books and magazines and
review your math skills over the summer. This
will help you to prepare for the SAT, if you
plan to take it in the fall.
u Obtain a summer job that might be related to
your career interests.
u If possible, save some money from your
summer job to pay for college costs.
u If you travel this summer, consider scheduling
a college visit.
u Important numbers:
Educaid: 1-877-318-2368
www.educaid.com
Pre-College Calendar
and Checklist
JRSRCAL0801
Your Student Loan Is
Ready for College... Are You?
When you need money for school, Educaid,
A First Union Company, is ready when you are.
Students and parents are invited to find out
more about our affordable student loans. Call
us at 1-877-318-2368, or visit us on the web
at www.educaid.com
Educaid
®
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SM
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