Junior Year: Be sure to have your child take a college entrance exam (ACT and/or SAT). Begin research into colleges using college websites, the library, college guide books, and college publications. Help them to begin narrowing their top choices. Begin visiting those colleges during the end of their junior year and over the summer. Work on application essays and their activity/honor/awards resume.

Senior Year:

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER: Register them to retake ACT or SAT if necessary. Draft scholarship and application essays. Make sure you have applications to the schools they are considering. Have them check the Scholarship Board in their guidance office on a regular basis. Turn in Resumes to Guidance for review.

SEPTEMBER cont.: Attend college fairs to speak to representatives of the colleges where they are interested. Make sure they attend high school visit sessions made by college representatives. If you haven’t done so already, begin visiting their top choices (or have them revisit and spend the night on campus). Here at A-B we offer several types of visitation opportunities throughout the academic year.

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER: Complete admission applications by college deadlines (especially for programs with early decision). The Common Application for the WV Promise Scholarship and WV Higher Education Grant is available on-line. Once again, there are several more opportunities to visit campus during this time period.

DECEMBER: Collect and prepare the information needed to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. Make sure you have applied for a PIN number for you and your child.

JANUARY: Complete income tax returns as soon as possible. Complete a FAFSA using the completed tax returns. If you do not have tax returns completed by the Financial Aid deadline date, then estimate information on the Financial Aid forms. Do not wait to be accepted for admission to complete tax returns and financial aid forms. A-B’s FAFSA code is 003806.

FEBRUARY-MARCH: Your student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) which gives an overview of the information you completed on the FAFSA. If you are having trouble completing the FAFSA form, call the A-B Admissions office and schedule an appointment with our Financial Aid Office. If you still haven’t had an opportunity to visit our beautiful mountaintop campus, continue to check out our visitation opportunities link to find the right date for you. (March 1 is the FAFSA deadline for the WV Higher Education Grant and the WV Promise scholarship)

MARCH-APRIL: Anticipate financial aid award letters from schools outlining financial aid assistance. If you have not visited the schools you are considering, please plan to do so very soon. Also, now is the time of the year when colleges begin pre-registration for new students. Plan to attend a Pre-Registration date in order to schedule your child’s first semester of college classes.

APRIL-MAY: Help your child to decide which school they will attend. Submit your child’s enrollment deposit if you haven’t done so already. Most schools have a MAY 1 deadline date for informing them on where you plan to attend college. *Please inform ALL schools of what your child’s college plans are.

MAY-JUNE: Enjoy the rest of your child’s senior year! Start making housing plans and call the college they will be attending to make sure they have all the necessary information (including final transcripts from your child’s high school, housing contract, health assessment form, etc.). If you haven’t already done so, attend a Pre-Registration date to establish a class schedule for your child’s first semester of at Alderson-Broaddus.

JULY: Make plans for your trip to the campus, find out about Freshman Orientation. Have your child contact their roommate to see what items each of them are planning to bring with them.

AUGUST: Take your child to college. Help them move in to their residence hall room. Attend the orientation events for parents. Then, enjoy the car ride home, and don’t worry, they are safe with us.