This is the year that College Guidance begins to work with you in earnest! In October you take the PSAT, and we provide you with the Timetable for Students Applying to College for your class. In January we assign you to one of the three college counselors and give you access to additional features of Naviance's Family Connection through which you will customize your college search process. Your counselor is eager to get to know you, to help you identify your strengths, challenges, and goals, and to encourage you to take charge of the exciting next steps in your life. We engage your parents in the process, too; we hope they will call, write, or meet with us in the spring.

Our college planning documents for juniors are all posted in Family Connection's document library. Your counselor expects you to read them and to follow the procedures that they outline. You should set up an account on College Board if you haven’t already, and register in plenty of time for the SAT and any other standardized tests that your counselor recommends. We urge you to use the free and low-cost SAT preparation material available through Naviance's Family Connection and the College Board.

This is surely not the first time you’ve heard how important it is to keep your grades up during the junior year. Save graded papers, and consider which teachers you might ask for recommendations next year. (And, of course, stay on the right side of the Discipline Committee!) Apply for leadership positions, and consider what unique contributions you can make to the George School community. Use the tools available through College Board and Naviance to explore how your interests and temperament may translate into college majors and careers. Spring is the time to start researching colleges. Use the summer before senior year wisely: visit colleges, write at least one college essay draft, and start filling out the Common Application online in August.  


Junior Year Timetable for the Class of 2011

September 21: Attend required meeting for all juniors with the College Guidance staff during assembly period to discuss the PSAT/NMSQT, important issues to focus on during junior year, and the highlights of this timetable.

Late September/early October: Read the PSAT/NMSQT Bulletin, distributed by College Guidance, for test-taking strategies and sample test questions. You can do additional free practice through College Board, including the SAT Question of the Day.

In September, College Guidance sends Naviance Family Connection registration codes to new juniors and their parents. All juniors and parents should make sure their Family Connection accounts are activated. Any returning junior or parent who has lost the registration code that we mailed to you last year should email Terry Tuttle to have it resent.

October 14: Take PSAT/NMSQT. College Guidance registers you automatically; parents are billed.

Thanksgiving Break: Create an account on College Board if you do not have one already (do not make a duplicate account!) Register through this account for the SAT Reasoning Test to be given on January 23, 2010. (If you don’t have a credit card, use the paper registration form available in College Guidance and pay the fee with a check or money order.)

Early December: College Guidance receives PSAT/NMSQT score reports, and puts your score report and actual test booklet in your mailbox. Take these items home over the Holiday Break, share them with your parents, and use them to help prepare for the SAT Reasoning Test.

December 15: Registration deadline for January 23 SAT Reasoning Test.

Late December/early January (Holiday Break): As supplemental preparation for the SAT, open your College Board account and use the code number on your PSAT score report to access My College QuickStart. There you will find PSAT/NMSQT Extra, which offers a full explanation of the correct answer to each question from the PSAT.

If you haven’t already done so, complete the personality/interest inventory in Family Connection, which will link you to information about potentially suitable college majors and careers. Your college counselor will be able to see a summary of the results.

January: Attend your scheduled small-group orientation meeting with the College Guidance staff, where you will meet your college counselor, learn about the college search process, and become familiar with our College Guidance Handbook and the special features of your Family Connection account that you will use throughout the college search and application process.

January 23: Take the SAT Reasoning Test at George School.

January/early February: In Family Connection, complete our three junior questionnaires, entitled College Guidance Questionnaire, College Interest Survey, and Student Activity Sheet. Then, schedule the first of two required meetings with your college counselor. In this first meeting your counselor will get to know you, your interests, and your achievements, and will advise you on when to schedule your second meeting.

January 29: Attend the College Guidance program on Conference Day, required for all juniors and highly recommended for parents.

February through June: We hope all parents will complete and submit our Junior Parent Questionnaire through their Family Connection accounts. We are happy to meet with your parents after you have had your first individual meeting with the counselor. Parents who wish to set up a meeting or phone appointment with the counselor should call Terry Tuttle at 215.579.6538 to make arrangements.

Spring Break: Research the suggested colleges, majors, and careers you have discussed with your counselor. Some juniors make initial visits to college campuses at this time.

Throughout the spring: If you are a potential college athlete, talk with your coaches to get an appraisal of your prospects for playing in college, and establish their willingness to serve as references for you with college coaches.

March 5: Registration deadline for the April 10 ACT (American College Test).

March 25: Registration deadline for May 1 SATs. (Make sure to take the SAT Reasoning Test in May if you didn’t take it in January!) Register early to get George School as your test site.

April (date to be arranged): If your first language is not English, take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). College Guidance will contact potential TOEFL-takers, arrange a group test date, and provide transportation to the off-campus test site.

April 10: ACT offered at off-campus test sites. College Guidance provides transportation to the Council Rock HS North test center.

Late April: By now you should have scheduled and attended at least two individual meetings with your college counselor, and have a “Prospective Colleges” list in Family Connection.

May 1: SATs administered at George School.

April 25: Registration deadline for June 5 SATs. (Most juniors take SAT Subject Tests in June.) Since June 5 is after the close of school, register for a test site near your home. Register early to get your preferred test site.

Throughout May: IB and AP exams for some juniors.

June 5: SATs administered at off-campus locations.

Before leaving campus for the summer: Save graded papers with your teachers’ comments on them. Some college applications will ask for a two- to five-page graded writing sample. If you and your counselor have already agreed on a teacher you should ask to write a college recommendation for you, make that request now.

Arrange to complete your service project if you haven’t already done so.


SENIOR YEAR (2010-11)

During the summer: Visit colleges. Follow instructions on their websites to sign up for tours, information sessions, and interviews (if offered). Request interviews at least two weeks in advance.

If your first language is not English, take the TOEFL over the summer in your home country.

August: Register for any SAT test(s) you plan to take on October 9. The registration deadline will be in early September, so register well in advance and do not leave this critical task until you return to school! If you know you will be taking SAT test(s) on November 6, register ahead for that date also.

Access the 2010-11 Common Application (not available until July 1). Begin working on a college essay.

Reread the College Guidance Handbook posted in the Family Connection Document Library; it will guide you through senior year.

August 31: Attend all-senior meeting with College Guidance staff.

Early September (date TBA): Registration deadline for October 9 SATs.

Late September (date TBA): Registration deadline for October 23 ACT.

Early October (date TBA): Registration deadline for November 6 SATs.

Early fall: Schedule the required meeting with your college counselor to update plans and achievements, fine-tune the college list, and go over specifics of the application process including visits, essays, teacher recommendations, and standardized testing.

Become familiar with the document Submitting Your College Applications, which is part of the College Guidance Handbook.

If you hope to play a varsity sport in college at the Division I or II level, register with the NCAA for initial eligibility.

Mid-September through early November: College representatives visit George School to meet with prospective applicants. Check the calendar in Family Connection regularly for an updated schedule, and sign up online for these meetings. To be excused from class in order to attend, follow the additional procedures in the College Guidance Handbook.

Ask two teachers to write college recommendations for you. Then, give them specific information and forms at least a month ahead of your first deadline.

Late September: College Guidance sends CSS PROFILE financial aid information to senior parents, and information about financial documentation to parents of international students.

Throughout the fall: Arrange any remaining visits to colleges. George School allows seniors to miss two class days per term for college visits. Follow procedures in the Community Handbook and the College Guidance Handbook for arranging permission.

Early October: Complete any Early Decision or Early Action application(s) you wish to submit. Apply now to any “rolling decision” colleges for the best chance of acceptance.

October 9: SATs administered at George School.

October 15: College Guidance Office deadline for requesting that we send your transcript and supporting documents to colleges with November 1 deadlines.

October 16: The college counselors lead a question-and-answer session for senior parents on Parents’ Visiting Day.

October 23: ACT administered at off-campus locations. (Check your sports schedule: this may be a playoff day for some teams.)

October 29: College Guidance Office deadline for requesting that we send your transcript and supporting documents to colleges with November 15 deadlines.

Early November (date TBA): Registration deadline for December 4 SATs. When you take your last SATs, make sure to instruct College Board to send your SAT scores to each college.

November 6: SATs administered at George School.

November 1 and 15: The most common college deadlines for Early Decision and Early Action applications.

November 12: College Guidance Office deadline for requesting that we send your transcript and supporting documents to colleges with November 30 or December 1 deadlines. (Many state universities, including Penn State, have one of these as a priority or final deadline).

Early December: College Guidance mails Term 1 grades to all colleges from which you are awaiting decisions.

December 4: SATs administered at off-campus locations. College Guidance provides transportation for senior boarders to Council Rock High School South test center.

December 6: College Guidance Office deadline for requesting that we send your transcript and supporting documents to colleges with January deadlines.

December 11: ACT administered at off-campus locations.

Mid-December: College Guidance mails to all parents (except parents of international students) a worksheet for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) along with detailed instructions.

During Holiday Break: International students should complete the required financial documentation form for each college. Those who are not native English speakers should instruct ETS to send their highest TOEFL scores to all colleges.

January 1: Application deadline at many highly selective colleges.

January 14: College Guidance Office deadline for requesting that we send your transcript and supporting documents to colleges with February deadlines.

Between January 1 and January 31: Families wishing to apply for financial aid must file the FAFSA. If your family has not already done so, submit the CSS PROFILE financial application as well, for any colleges that require it.

Late January: Your college counselor will ask you to review the list of colleges to which we have submitted your credentials, and will pass on any suggestions for further action.

January through April: As you receive decisions from colleges, let College Guidance know what they are and keep us informed of your plans. Consult us as needed for help with decision-making.

Early February: College Guidance mails a midyear report to all colleges from which you are awaiting decisions, showing your grades to date in all senior year courses.

April 1: By this date you should have a decision from each college to which you applied, and financial aid decisions from those to which you applied for aid on time. Arrange any final college visits you may need to make.

May 1: By this date, you must choose a college, accept its offer in writing, and submit a deposit. It is unethical submit a deposit to more than one college; if you do so you may lose your place! Notify all other colleges that accepted you that you are declining their offers.

Throughout May: IB and AP exams for some seniors. Arrange to have your official IB and/or AP score records sent by the test organization directly to your college.

Before June 30: College Guidance mails your final transcript to the college at which you have enrolled, and to the NCAA if requested.