Essential End-of-Year Planning: Your Grade-by-Grade Guide to Spring College Planning Milestones

As spring semester races toward summer, now is the critical time for students to complete essential college planning tasks. Each grade level has unique priorities that can significantly impact future success. This comprehensive guide breaks down exactly what students should focus on during these final weeks of the academic year.

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9th-Grade Action Items

For our 9th graders, we're primarily focused on reflecting on students' first year of high school, and what learning we can roll into their planning and goal-setting for next year. Main action items include:

• Academic Assessment: Schedule a meeting with your counselor to review your first-year performance. Identify strengths to leverage and weaknesses to address. (Ideally, with the intention to set incremental goals over the summer to hit the ground running next fall.)

• Four-Year Planning: Revisit your high school course plan. Are you on track for taking the most challenging curriculum appropriate for your abilities? Most course registration should be finalized by this point in the spring, but make sure to review your plan with your mentor to ensure that there aren't adjustments or summer courses that should be making it into the mix.

• Summer Enrichment: While less pressure exists for longer formal programs at this stage, use summer to explore interests. Consider local volunteering, job shadowing, or introductory programs in areas that spark your curiosity. End-of-spring mentorship sessions entail a lot of self-reflection with your counselor so that you can best leverage your summer free time to grow.

• Extracurricular Reflection: Evaluate your activities from the past year. Which ones brought you joy or personal growth? Which might you want to deepen your involvement in next year? Your mentor can help you identify paths for growth or potential areas to cut back ahead of greater leadership expectations in the years to come.

  
  

10th-Grade College Planning Action Items

The end of 10th grade marks an important transition as college planning begins to take more concrete shape:

• Testing Preview: Consider taking a practice SAT/ACT to establish your baseline and determine which test format might better suit your strengths. Set up a testing plan with your primary mentor, and if appropriate, your mentor can introduce you to one of our SAT/ACT prep tutors.

• Curriculum Tweaking: Junior year courses should have already been selected, but if there are any final adjustments or courses that you want to fit in over the summer, your mentor can advise accordingly.

• College Research Initiation: Begin preliminary college exploration. You'll work with your mentor to create a "wish list" of characteristics you might want in a school (size, location, academic programs, etc.). Getting an early sense of these "big picture" factors can help minimize research hours and list-building stress during junior year.

• College Visit Planning: College visits are an often-underutilized aspect of the college application process. Getting preliminary visits in during the summer before 11th grade can be especially critical for ambitious students, who often aim to hold full-summer research positions ahead of senior year. (Thus, this may well be your last flexible summer to fit visits into your schedule.)

• Summer Goal-Setting: While the summer application process is now coming to a close, rising 11th graders often find themselves with flexible enough summers to work in personal goals around fitness, self-reflection, service, or other critical areas of development that fall outside of formal program offerings. Our most ambitious rising juniors work with their mentors to have well-articulated personal goals beyond the few weeks that they'll likely dedicate to formal programming.

• Extracurricular Advancement: Look for leadership opportunities in your activities for the coming year. Can you advance to a more significant role in clubs or organizations? Your mentor can help you assess time commitments for the upcoming school year, reflect on how different extracurriculars have helped you grow, and understand the prestige (and responsibility) of different leadership positions that you might be eligible for in the coming year.

11th Graders: The Critical College Planning Countdown

The final weeks of 11th grade contain some of the most important college preparation tasks:

• Standardized Testing: Finalize your testing calendar for remaining SAT/ACT dates if needed. We heavily advise students to avoid testing in the fall, as testing during junior spring can distract from academic performance and college essays.

• Teacher Recommendations: Work with your mentor to make a plan for requesting letters of recommendation from teachers before summer break. The gold standard is to secure recommenders who can not only speak to your academic abilities, but can also speak to your character and values.

• College List Development: This spring, you'll work with your mentor to refine your college list based on research and any campus visits completed. You'll work with your mentor to hone a balanced list of reach, target, and likely schools.

• Personal Statement Preparation: Rising seniors will soon work with their mentors to brainstorm topics for their main application essays. Summer provides ideal writing time; strong candidates will have their personal statement done before the school year begins.

• Summer Planning: While younger students might still be filling in small gaps with an extra course or some independent project planning, rising seniors should be focusing on making a plan to get ahead on applications this summer. Scheduling writing time, finalizing any testing plans, and planning any remaining college visits should take priority. (Aside from, ideally, an already-finalized major summer commitment to really stand out ahead of applications this fall.)

• Financial Aid Preparation: Parents should begin gathering financial documents and exploring scholarship opportunities. The FAFSA becomes available October 1.

  
  

12th Graders: Finishing Strong

For 12th graders, the end of spring semester marks the transition from applicant to enrolled student:

• Enrollment Confirmation: Submit your enrollment deposit to your chosen institution by the May 1st National Decision Day deadline.

• Housing Arrangements: Complete housing applications and roommate questionnaires before deadlines.

• Financial Aid Completion: Ensure all required financial aid documents are submitted, including any verification materials requested.

• AP/IB Exams: Prepare diligently for AP/IB exams, as strong scores may earn college credit.

• Final Transcript Request: If necessary, arrange for your school to send your final transcript to your enrolled college.

• Summer Orientation: Register for freshman orientation programs, placement testing, course registration, and your college email.

  
  

All Students: Universal End-of-Year Academic and College Planning Tasks

Regardless of grade level, all students should complete these important steps:

• Academic Finish: Maintain or improve your academic performance through final exams. Remember that colleges can revoke admission offers due to significant grade drops.

• Activity Documentation: Update your resume or activity record with spring semester achievements, leadership positions, hours completed, and skills developed.

• Thank You Notes: Express gratitude to teachers, counselors, and others who supported you through this school year.

• Summer Reading: Don't get rusty this summer; choose a few books that excite you, and make a plan to get some free reading in this summer. Many colleges and high schools also assign summer reading; get an early start to avoid last-minute cramming.

• Reflection Time: Take time to reflect on your personal growth during the past academic year. What lessons did you learn? How have your goals or interests evolved?

• Self-Care Planning: Work with your mentor to design a summer schedule that balances productivity with necessary rest and rejuvenation. Burnout helps no one!

  
  

Final Thoughts

The end of the school year often feels like a race to the finish line, but taking time for these grade-appropriate tasks can significantly ease your college planning journey. By completing them now, you'll create space for a more balanced summer and position yourself for success in the coming academic year.

Remember that college planning is most effective when approached as a gradual process rather than a last-minute sprint. Each year builds upon the previous one, creating a comprehensive profile that showcases your unique talents, interests, and potential.

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Need personalized guidance for your specific situation, but aren't yet an SK student? Schedule a free call today to learn how we can help guide your family through spring planning and beyond!