Getting Ready for College: A Four-Year Checklist for High School Teens

November 5, 2025 byConnections Academy

6 min to read

Whether a student is enrolled online or attends a brick-and-mortar school, the high school years can be a busy time. As students start looking into how to prepare for college and discover what the process can involve, they might feel a bit overwhelmed by the various forms, steps, and elements that go into college readiness.

To help you and your student stay on track, we’ve compiled a year-by-year checklist to help them—and you—feel more confident in their prep.

When Should Students Start Preparing for College?

High school students can begin preparing for college as soon as their freshman or sophomore year by focusing on academics, thinking about what they like to do by doing some career exploration, and pursuing a healthy dose of extracurricular activities that can spark their interest in possible college majors. But since college is still a ways off, you can approach this time with a sense of fun and discovery. During junior year, things start to get more serious. This is typically the year students take standardized tests and get deeper into whatever sports, clubs, or organizations they want to be a part of as they build their college resumes.

Who can Help Them Prepare for College?

While your school counselor is the expert on college admissions, any trusted adult can help students prepare for college. Teachers, school counselors, coaches, mentors, parents, or other family members can help students by writing recommendation letters, proofreading essays, helping with applications and FAFSA forms, creating a calendar to keep track of important dates, or simply be a source of moral support and encouragement.

How to Prepare for College Checklists by Year

Students’ college prep will look different from year to year, starting from a high-level place and getting more focused as they get older.

College Preparation Checklist for High School Freshmen and Sophomores

Freshman can relax at this phase of their college prep—their job right now is to explore what they like to do for fun and whether they want to turn it into a career. It’s also a time for them to start developing good academic habits that they can develop and grow throughout their high school experience.

Freshmen preparing for college should:

Take challenging or unfamiliar classes to nurture a budding interest or to discover a new one. Taking part in new extracurricular activities is not only fun but is a growth opportunity for students.

Talk to an advisor or school counselor about taking Advanced Placement®* and honors courses to get ahead.

Explore potential job options through career quizzes or an interest profiler.

Get involved with community-based and leadership-oriented activities that best reflect their interests.

Start building a list of accomplishments, awards, and recognitions they achieve for easy reference on college applications and resumes.

As sophomores, students should begin thinking more deeply about exploring career interests in high school and start thinking about how to prep through their academic performance.

Sophomores preparing for college should:

Work with their school counselors to create a yearly schedule that keeps them on track to meet graduation and college admissions requirements. They can also help them explore ways to graduate high school ahead of schedule.

Consider taking the PSAT. Students should generally plan to take this test no later than fall semester of the eleventh grade to qualify for National Merit Scholarships and programs. You can take practice tests to help you know what to expect.

Sophomores can also use quizzes or career profilers to explore different career options. They might want to attend job fairs or even shadow a working professional for a day, if the opportunity is available to them.

Read about how to choose the college that’s right for them, or browse the College Scorecard to learn about different schools.

How to Get Ready for College in Your Junior Year

Juniors should start getting serious about meeting the academic requirements for college admission and understanding what the college application timeline looks like.

In the fall semester, juniors should:

Take the SATs and ACTs for the first time. Doing these early will leave enough time to retake the test to boost their score if they want to.

Reach out to school counselors to discuss college requirements and start learning about funding for college, including scholarships, grants, loans, work-study jobs, etc.

Attend in-person or online college fairs and start doing campus visits.

Explore careers on a deeper level. Resources like the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics can provide recent earnings data, job growth stats, and what different occupations do on a day-to-day basis.

In the spring semester, juniors should:

Identify scholarship opportunities to pursue and note the application deadlines on a calendar.

Begin solidifying their top choices for college and gathering application materials.

College Prep Checklist for High School Seniors

Senior year is largely about deciding and applying to the student’s colleges of choice, confirming admission and funding, and getting those final application needs buttoned up. Before each year of college, you’ll need to apply for federal grants, work-study, and loans with the FAFSA. 

During the summer, rising seniors should:

Finalize their list of colleges. 
Plan college visits for their first, second, and third choices if possible.
Complete the Federal Student Aid Estimator.

In the fall semester, seniors should:

Take or retake the SAT and/or ACT.
Complete and submit applications prior to deadlines. 
Request transcripts and letters of recommendation at least 30 days before they are due. 
Work with parents to complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA® form).
Complete and submit scholarship applications prior to deadlines. 
Meet with a counselor to verify that they’ll meet graduation requirements on schedule.

During the winter months, seniors should:

Review and make any necessary changes/corrections to their Student Aid Report.
Finish submitting scholarship applications.

In the spring semester, seniors should:

Choose from schools they’ve been accepted to (typically by May 1 for Early Action, but regular deadlines may be more flexible) and compare any financial aid and scholarship opportunities offered. They also need to formally decline any schools they’ve been accepted to and have chosen not to attend.

Start looking at housing options near their chosen school, if not living on campus.

Look into public transit or parking options near or on campus.

While some seniors may feel inclined to coast through their last year of high school, students preparing for college should know that college admissions officers will expect to see they’ve worked hard to keep grades up and stayed involved in school and community activities. Parents may reassure aspiring college students that they can still enjoy life and time with friends while remaining focused on larger goals.

Explore Online School for Senior Year

Help your high school student gain that extra bit of focus on college-prep courses in a safe, distraction-free, at-home setting by enrolling in online high school with Connections Academy®. Request more info or contact us to speak to a representative.

*Advanced Placement® is a registered trademark of the College Board. Used with permission.