12th Grade
You have now entered your final year of high school and preparation needs to continue for your post-secondary education plans. It is important that you keep copies of everything and track important dates and deadlines. Action items you should consider:
- Keep your grades up!
- Don't coast your way out of high school. Continue taking solid college prep classes including English, full year Science with labs, Math, foreign language, and fine arts classes.
- Reduce the numbers of colleges you are considering to six or less.
- Apply for admission. Identify required forms and the applicable deadline for each college.
- Research placement rates and salaries (in your field of study) by contacting the Career Services Office at the colleges you are considering.
- Contact the college admission offices to learn about the admissions requirements and deadlines as well as their college scholarship deadlines. Some programs may require an entrance test for admissions.
- Retaking your ACT or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in the fall is recommended if you weren't satisfied with your results.
- Use the Planning and Gap Calculators located in the SLFC Toolkit to determine how much money you will need for college and if a financial gap exists.
- Explore scholarship options and begin the application process early.
- Get a handle on your personal finances. Be debt savvy by understanding how to manage your expenses, protect your credit score, and borrow wisely.
- Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) http://www.fafsa.ed.gov as soon as possible after January 1. The SAR (Student Aid Report) will be returned to you to confirm the information on the FAFSA is correct. This determines your financial aid eligibility.
- The priority deadline for the FAFSA varies from college to college while the federal deadline is the end of June. Applicants that will apply for state aid that requires the FAFSA must adhere to state deadlines which could be very early.
- Students are advised to complete and submit the FAFSA regardless of assumptions about eligibility for aid.
SLFC also provides tools that can help select a career, search for a college, calculators to assist with determining the cost of attending the college and ways to finance your education. Go to SLFC's Toolkit for assistance.
