Senior year at a glance

Your senior year will be jam-packed with activities and deadlines for high school and college. It can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Get help from parents, teachers, counselors, and college admission representatives.

Here’s a summary of what to do for college planning during your senior year.

Year-round

  • Combat senioritis. Many colleges request copies of your final grades at the end of your senior year — so resist the urge to slack off.
     
  • Stay involved in extracurricular activities. Update your Activities Resume for admissions and scholarship applications.
     

August through December

  • Attend a College Fair or Educational Planning Program. Click here to find one in your area. 
     
  • Finish your college visits. Narrow your selection to 3-4 schools.
     
  • Retake the ACT and/or SAT. Visit actstudent.org and collegeboard.org to register for the exam — and to take practice tests.
     
  • Apply to your top 3-4 colleges. Contact the colleges to learn the deadlines.
     
  • Apply for scholarships. ScholarshipQuest contains over 2,000 local and statewide scholarships in Nebraska. 
     

January through March

  • Complete and submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at FAFSA.gov. Check out these free FAFSA tools to help you prepare:
    • Podcasts and videos teach you how to plan and pay for college
    • College Funding Estimator will estimate your FAFSA results
    • FAFSA Tools: 
      • Checklist provides items needed to complete the FAFSA
      • FAFSA Tutorial explains each FAFSA question
      • FAFSA Demo walks you through the FAFSA website
  • Expect admission acceptance letters.
     
  • Continue to apply for scholarships.
     

April and May

  • Expect financial aid award notifications. To compare them, use our Award Letter Comparison Calculator.
     
  • Select a college. Use our College Comparison Calculator for a side-by-side comparison to help find the best fit for you. Inform the other colleges of your decision.
     
  • Meet deadlines for the housing deposit and course registration.
     
  • Get a summer job to help with college expenses.
     

June and July

  • Register for college orientation.
     
  • Apply for student loans — if necessary. Your financial aid award notification will indicate loans you can borrow and the process for applying.

If you have questions about college admissions and financial aid, contact the EducationQuest location nearest you: Omaha – 888-357-6300, Lincoln – 800-303-3745, or Kearney – 800-666-3721.