February College Prep Checklist for High School Juniors

February is the shortest month of the year, but it’s a BUSY month for students. Here’s a glimpse at the celebrations the second month of 2025 has to offer: Black History Month, Financial Aid Awareness Month, Groundhog Day (February 2), Super Bowl LIX (February 9), Valentine’s Day (February 14) and more... JUMP TO FEBRUARY CHECKLIST FOR HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS In between all these February happenings, high school juniors still need to tackle their college prep tasks throughout the second semester. With just 28 days in February, it can be easy to get distracted. Stay on track with this list of eight tasks to complete in February:

College Planning Checklist for High School Juniors

Find Out if Your Top Choice Colleges are Test Optional or Test Blind

It’s important to know that more and more higher education institutions are becoming test-optional or test-free colleges. This means you do not have to have an ACT or SAT score to apply for these colleges. According to FairTest, there are more than 2,100 test-optional colleges and more than 80 test-free institutions. Make a list of your top college choices and do some research. Find out which universities are test-optional, test-blind, and those that still need an ACT or SAT score for you to be considered. From this list, work with your high school counselor to create a standardized test plan. Ask yourself, “Do I need to test?” “Do I test well?” “Will I earn a high enough score that will showcase me as a top-student candidate?”

Create a Standardized Testing Plan

If you choose to take a standardized test and have your scores submitted to colleges you choose, this could help you earn institutional scholarships or merit scholarships, depending on your test scores. Also, if you do exceptionally well on exams, it could prime you as a top student choice for a particular university. The first SAT test date in 2025 begins March 8 with a February 21 registration deadline. You can register for and find other SAT exam dates here. The first 2025 ACT test is February 8. You can register to get a reminder alert and find other ACT exam dates here. If you decide to move forward with standardized tests, taking the exams the spring semester of junior year is a smart idea. By taking them earlier for the first time, you’ll give yourself more options (and time) to study and retake to improve your score. Plus, you’ll have more confidence when you take your tests the second time around. If you wait until later to take them, that’s less time to focus and improve your score.

Do Some Recommendation Letter Prep

Now is the perfect time to talk to your teachers, coaches, and any other role models about letters of recommendation. As the school year winds down, they’re going to be swamped with these requests, and you don’t want to become another student in their “to-do” pile.

Plan Those College Visits

Spring break is right around the corner, and it’s a great time to take advantage of your time off from school to visit any colleges you are interested in. Be sure you do a bit of prep work before your college visit or tour. Preparing a list of questions for your admissions tour guide will ensure you make the most of your college visit experiences!

Narrow Down Your College Choices

Through research, visiting colleges and speaking with prospective schools, you should begin to create a list of schools you’d like to apply to during your senior year. It’s time to look into your college choices and the aspects of each school you’d like to investigate further. Once you’ve determined the questions you have about each school, it’s time to find answers so you can narrow your college list into three categories.

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 or college advisor at least once a semester (at minimum). You want to ensure you’re on the right track for graduation, that they’re in the loop with your college search, and that you’re doing everything properly to prepare for your exams and college process. They’re also experts in the college search, so they can often shed light on your college choices and help you better prepare for college admissions.

Consider Taking AP Courses

If you’d like to plan on taking AP courses during your senior year of high school, you’ll need to talk to your guidance counselor, AP coordinator, and family. You’ll also want to discuss the available subjects, especially those in which you would excel. Advanced placement courses have many advantages, like prepping you for your college coursework. Sometimes, you can even earn college credits before the start of your freshman year.

Continue Applying for Scholarships

Remain diligent in both searching and applying for scholarships. Winning scholarships - regardless of amount - will impact how affordable college is. Affordability is a big factor when making your final college decision or narrowing down your list. Scholarships and financial aid are how most students pay for college! Update your Fastweb profile each semester to get the best scholarship matches; be as thorough as you can. You can also find a list of scholarships for high school juniors. Apply for scholarships often; you won’t win them all but the more you apply for, the better your odds at winning a scholarship.