Board District 6 - Community of Schools - Senior Year Checklist - College & Admission Timeline

Sep 22, 2026

Board District 6 - Community of Schools outlines a senior-year planning checklist covering major college pathways, eligibility requirements, and key application milestones across August through the following July. It includes guidance on building college lists, creating a brag sheet and resume, completing UC and private applications, requesting recommendation materials, and continuing personal insight and essay work. It also details SAT/ACT, FAFSA/CA Dream Act, CSU timelines, EOP recommendation steps, transcript requests, and submission deadlines for SIR, financial aid, and final transcripts, plus supportive notes on community college and CSU/UC GPA considerations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Senior Year Checklist

College Pathways & Eligibility

Application Timeline (August to July)

August-September

September

October

November

December

January-February

March-April

May-July

Community College and CSU/UC Eligibility Notes

Board District 6-Community of Schools Item Page Senior Year Checklist….…….…….…….…………………………………………….……. 2-3 College Pathways & Eligibility…………………………………………………………….. 4-5 CSU Eligibility Index (SAT)…………………………………………………………………… 6 Exploring Majors……………………………………………………………………………….. 7 CSU Major Impaction………………………………………………………………………… 8-9 Asking Letters of Recommendation and Preparing a Brag Sheet……….. 10 Extra-Curricular & Awards…………………………………………………………………. 11-12 UC PIQ Tips……………………………………………………………………………………….. 13 Common Application Prompts…………………………………………………………… 14 | August-September | | --- | | ❑ Research majors/colleges & create your college list. Sort by reach, match, safety schools.
❑ Create a new email for college related information ONLY.
❑ Create a thorough electronic brag sheet and/or resume.
❑ Work on UC PIQ’s and private college personal statements. Write, revise, edit, & repeat!
❑ Take community college courses, attend a summer enrichment program, go on college tours, take on an internship, or any new learning experience in your area of interest. | | August-September Continues | | ❑ UC’s application available AUGUST 1st! Begin your UC and private college app.❑ Complete your extracurricular portion of the apps using your brag sheet.❑ Ask teachers for recommendations (forms or letters) using your brag sheet.❑ Continue to revise and edit your PIQ’s and personal statements. | | September | | ❑ Recommended: Finish your UC application!
❑ Continue working on your private college applications. | | October | | ❑ FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application is available OCTOBER 1st! Begin your financial aid application collecting all the information you will need to complete the application.
❑ CSU application available OCTOBER 1st! Begin and complete your app.
❑ Begin the EOP portion and ask for two people to complete the recommendation form. Ask the recommenders for their emails and provide them your brag sheet.
❑ Polish up your UC application and private college applications if necessary. | | November | | ❑ SUBMIT UC AND CSU APPLICATIONS! DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 30 !
❑ SUBMIT PRIVATE COLLEGE APPLICATIONS! DEADLINES: (Varies by College) ! | | December | | ❑ Check your email regularly for any information from the colleges you applied to.❑ Complete the CSS profile (for private colleges)
❑ Apply for scholarships! Look for freshman scholarships at the schools you applied to.❑ Remind your parents to have their 2018 taxes completed. | | January-February | | ❑ Create university portal accounts, login to the university email(s) and portals on a regular basis (at least twice a week) for updates.
❑ Continue working on your financial aid application (FAFSA or CADAA) . Attend a CASH FOR COLLEGE workshop to receive support completing your application..
❑ Request official mid-year transcripts just in case the colleges you applied to ask for it.
❑ SEND ALL YOUR OFFICIAL SAT AND/OR ACT TEST SCORES! (Typing in the score on your application was NOT official. Send your score from collegeboard.org or [act.org](act.org)) .
❑ (January to April) Apply to community college! Take their math and English assessments. Complete the orientation. Attend their senior day events and meet with a counselor. | | March-April | | --- | | ❑ SUBMIT YOUR FAFSA/CADAA! DEADLINE: MARCH 2 !
❑ Receive notifications from admissions from CSU’s, UC’s, and many private colleges ❑ Check your Cal Grant and [FAFSA/Dream ACT status on webgrants4students.org](FAFSA/Dream ACT status on webgrants4students.org)
❑ Review Financial Aid Award Letters from schools who offered you admissions. Review with your college counselor, AVID teacher, peer leader, and parents/guardians.
❑ Explore housing options available at the colleges and make note of the app deadline.
❑ Check your Cal State Early Start status. Ask about your English and math placement.
❑ Review your admission offers, make a pro/con list, and make a decision! | | May-July | | ❑ M

FAQs

What steps should students complete from August through September for UC and private college applications?

Students should research majors/colleges and build a sorted college list, create a college-specific email, prepare an electronic brag sheet and resume, and work on UC PIQs and private college personal statements through drafting and revision. They should begin UC and private applications starting August 1, complete extracurricular sections, and request teacher recommendations using the brag sheet.

What are the key financial aid application dates and requirements mentioned?

FAFSA or the CA Dream Act application becomes available October 1, and students should begin collecting needed information. The checklist specifies submitting FAFSA/CADAA by March 2 and completing the CSS profile for private colleges. It also emphasizes checking status through webgrants4students.org and attending a CASH FOR COLLEGE workshop for support.

What submission and decision deadlines are highlighted for late senior year?

Students are instructed to submit UC and CSU applications with a deadline of November 30. They must submit private college applications by varying deadlines. For later steps, they should submit FAFSA/CADAA by March 2, complete the statement of intent to register (SIR) by May 1 for four-year universities, and submit final official transcripts by July (depending on colleges).

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Aria Callaghan