February College Checklist for High School Seniors

February is the month of love (Valentine's Day), celebrating (Black History Month), becoming aware (Financial Aid Awareness Month) and discovering how long winter will last (Groundhog's Day) - the list goes on, but you get the idea. Amidst all of these important dates, you still need to ensure you’re prepared for college throughout final semester of high school. It can be easy to get distracted with all of the hustle and bustle of everything else. In order to help you stay focused this month, here's a list of items that should have your attention. Use this list to keep your college process on track this month:

1. Plan Final College Visits

Maybe you’ve already visited the schools you’ve applied to, maybe you haven’t. Whatever the case, the time is now to schedule any last minute visits to the schools on your list in order to make it easier to narrow down your choices. Spring break is the perfect time to schedule visits – you have the time off of school, anyway. Make your college choice easier by scheduling any last-minute tours (or revisits) now!

2. Touch Base with Your Guidance Counselor

From now until your high school graduation, it’s generally a good idea to touch base with your guidance counselor/college advisor at least once a semester (that’s the minimum). You want to ensure you’re on the right track for graduation, and that they’re in the loop with your college admissions process. These are the people that are sending your scores to college admissions, and you want to ensure everything is going smoothly! They’re also experts in the college search, so they can often shed light on your college choices and help you with your college admissions decisions.

3. Complete Your FAFSA (If You Haven’t Already)

Filling out your FAFSA is the key to many financial aid opportunities, on both federal and state levels. You don’t want to miss out on help paying for school because you neglected the form. Keep track of your financial aid deadlines so you don’t lose out on any opportunities. If you’ve already filled out your FAFSA, you’re not finished yet. Learn what you should be doing after you’ve submitted yours.

4. Make Memories

Senior year is full of moments you’ll remember forever. From prom to something as simple as seeing your friends in the halls – these are moments you’re going to miss one day. Try to soak up all of the moments and memories you can, because they’re going to pass by more quickly than you can imagine. Take photos (let your family take them, too!), make memories with friends and remember to cherish important moments – don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t take on a “too cool” attitude. In the end, the positive memories are what you’ll have, so make plenty of them while you’re able.

5. Stay on Top of Your Scholarship Applications

We simply cannot create a list without including a scholarship action item – it’s that important! Continue to be diligent in your scholarship search and application processes. Earning scholarships can really impact how affordable college is, so stay on top of your search and apply for all scholarships you qualify for, from now until the end of your college (or educational) career.