Overview
College Timeline for High School Seniors
September
November
December
January
February-March-April-May

Overview

•  Take challenging courses and continue to work toward your goals. It is not unheard of for colleges to revoke  acceptance based on senior year academic performance. If you have been accepted to a college or university, your acceptance may be conditionally based on your senior year class schedule. You need to maintain good grades and complete a full class schedule.

• Attend your senior meeting with your school counselor! Double-check with your school counselor to make sure that you have the credits and courses you need to graduate on time. Make decisions about college, military, apprenticeships, etc. and begin the process of application.  If you miss your meeting, reschedule. 
   
• Attend a Wisconsin Education Fair (WEF). WEF's are FREE events held regionally throughout Wisconsin in the Fall of each year. Students can meet with approximately 100 professional admission representatives from all over the region, learn about requirements, academic programs, financial aid, scholarships, housing, and more. Kewaskum students and their parents are encouraged to attend the WEF at Marian University in Fond du lac, on Monday September 26th from 6:30-8:30 pm or Tues September 27th from 9:00-11:00 am. Ask your school counselor for additional information. 

• Attend National and Regional College Fairs. The 2011 Milwaukee National College Fair will be held at the Frontier Airlines Center (formerly the Midwest Express Center) on Sunday, October 9, 2011, 12:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.. All University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Private Schools, and many out of state schools will be present. See your school counselor with questions.
   
• Apply to a Wisconsin Technical College online at http://witechcolleges.org. The Wisconsin Technical College System offers many degrees and training programs that lead to meaningful and excellent paying jobs! Moraine Park Technical College offers many programs including Nursing, Electrical Power Distribution, Tool Design Engineering Technology, and Radiography.
   
• You can apply to a University of Wisconsin school after September 15th. Each campus sets its own priority dates and deadline. Generally, priority deadlines are set for the middle of November. You can use the uwhelp.wisconsin.edu website as a reference and to access the University of Wisconsin Online Admissions Application form. Regardless of what school you are applying to, CHECK CAREFULLY!  Do you have all the necessary forms? Are you sure of the application deadlines? Are you required to write an essay? Obtain application forms. Observe deadlines. Submit transcript and test scores. Tell your school counselor you need transcripts sent to a UW school.
   
• Request transcripts be sent to the school(s) to which you have applied, through the school counseling office with a Transcript Request Form.  You may download and print the form, or request paper copies in the school counseling office.
   
• Begin a scholarship search. Use the resources available in the School Counseling Office and online to assist in your search. 

• Attend the Kewaskum High School Financial Aid Information Night on Thursday, November 8, 2011 at Kewaskum High School.  If you are going to college, apply for financial aid; consult the financial aid office at your chosen college. You can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after January 1, but you will need your parent's completed tax information.

• Make final decisions. If you are not planning on attending college or technical school, what steps do you need to take to reach your goals? Have you inquired about apprenticeship programs or military options? Have you met the deadlines and requirements to begin your training program? If you are not going to college, trade or technical school, you are not starting an apprenticeship program, and you are not enlisting in the military, what will you do?

•  If you are going to college, and have received an acceptance letter, you must confirm your decision with the school. Make sure that you decline any other offers you received.

 College Timeline for High School Seniors

September-November .

• Use the career and college resources at Kewaskum High School. You can open a student account on the WISCareers Web site.  Kewaskum students and their parents can use WISCareers at any time to research specific colleges, technical schools, careers, and majors of study. WISCareers also provides links to apprenticeship opportunities and employers in specific career fields. Students who have not used the site before will need to create a user account. When prompted, enter the registration code "khs-c076." If you have questions about setting up a user account, or general questions about WISCareers, contact your guidance counselor. The Web address is http://wiscareers.wisc.edu.

• Start sending in college applications. Use the UW Help Web site to determine priority dates and to apply online. The Web address is http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu

• Request letters of recommendation from teachers, counselors and others who can assist in your application process. Plan ahead and request letters of recommendation at least one week in advance. You may use the online Letter of Recommendation Request Form to request letters from Kewaskum High School teachers. The form is available here. 

• Begin looking for scholarships. Be sure you know the deadline for each scholarship. Scholarship information is available in the Kewaskum High School Counseling Office and online at the Kewaskum High School Counseling Department Web site. 
   
• Consider attending a Wisconsin Education Fair and/or the The 2011 Milwaukee National College Fair.

• Plan to visit as many of your "top choice" colleges as possible. Make appointments for interviews and campus tours. If possible, visit on weekdays and ask for permission to sit in on a few classes. For a list of UW System and Wisconsin Technical College System campus tours and preview days click here.

• Talk with college representatives who visit Kewaskum High School. Listen for announcements and periodically check the Kewaskum High School "In-School College Visit Calendar" in the School Counseling Office and online.

• Retake the ACT if you want to improve your score. ACT and SAT registration materials and information is available from your counselor and in School Counseling Office. Or visit http://www.actstudent.org/
  
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November

• Attend Preview Days at Moraine Park Technical College. High school juniors and seniors select specific programs to preview, see classrooms and labs, talk with instructors and learn more about career training at the technical college. Students register online or with their school counselor.

   

  November 9, 2011	West Bend Campus
  November 10, 2011	Fond du Lac Campus
  November 8, 2011	Beaver Dam Campus

• Attend the Kewaskum High School Financial Aid Information Night, November 8th, 2011 in the Kewaskum High School Theatre.
   
• Plan to submit all college applications before Thanksgiving. DOUBLECHECK deadlines in case applications are due sooner. Use the UWHelp Web site to determine priority dates and to apply online. The Web address is http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/

• Students who sent in applications earlier in the fall may begin receiving acceptance letters.

• Continue to talk with college representatives who visit Kewaskum High School. Periodically check the Kewaskum High School "In-School College Visit Calendar" in the School Counseling Office and online.

• Keep checking for scholarships!
  
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December

• By this time all students should have applied to a four-year school, two-year school, apprenticeship program or decided on joining the military.
   
• Consider taking the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). This ASVAB is the most widely used "career interest" tool in the world. The ASVAB provides valuable information on vocational aptitudes and career interest for undecided students. You can take the ASVAB and have your results interpreted without releasing them to recruiters. The ASVAB will be offered at Kewaskum High School in December of 2011. Sign-up with your school counselor or in the school counseling office. The ASVAB is free and available to sophomores, juniors and seniors.

• Obtain the KEYS Scholarship Common Application from the School Counseling Office or online. Complete and submit to the School Counseling Office by established deadline. KEYS scholarship applications are typically available no sooner than the first week of December.
   
• Keep checking for scholarships!
  
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January

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms are available to all seniors. These forms are no longer available in paper format and you must apply online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Contact your school counselor for more information. The completed forms can NOT be submitted prior to January 1st. You need to complete your family’s taxes first, so parents should plan to do them early this year. Estimated tax information can be used. Some colleges and universities may require an additional application specifically for their school. 
   
• Visit the Financial Aid Overview page of the Kewaskum High School Counseling Web site.
   
• Continue to research scholarship and other financial aid options.
  
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February-March-April-May

• Discover Moraine Park event at Moraine Park Technical College
  Tour campuses, explore classrooms and labs, and meet faculty.  Parents and students are encouraged to attend this evening event.

  Registration is online at morainepark.edu

   

  February 08, 2011	West Bend Campus
  February 09, 2011	Fond du Lac Campus
  February 10, 2011	Beaver Dam Campus

• Submit your completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form online. You will need information from your family's most recent income tax return. Visit the Financial Aid Overview page of the Kewaskum High School Counseling Web site.

• If your college requests a Semester I report card, notify your school counselor in writing for a copy of your Semester I report card.

• Continue to research scholarship and other financial aid options.
   
• If you are in advanced placement classes, register and take advanced placements tests (through your course teacher).

• Ideally, by this time, you should have received your college acceptance or rejection letters. Notify your school counselor on the action taken on your application.
   
• Return housing contracts immediately. Student housing fills quickly and is limited at some schools (e.g. UW-Milwaukee). Timely completion and retrun of housing contracts is important!

• Compare financial aid packages that you were offered from the various colleges where you were accepted. Look at your costs, estimated contributions and how much money you have been offered in grants, loan and scholarships. Remember, grants and scholarships do not have to be paid back, as long as you remain eligible. Each loan has different terms.

• Let your school counselor know which college you will be attending and if you received any scholarships.

• If you are in advanced placement classes, register and take advanced placements tests (through your course teacher).

• Continue to make plans for what you will do after high school. Take a summer break? Work full-time? Visit family/travel? Volunteer?

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