By Grade

Recommendations by Year

A 9th grader and a 12th grader should not follow the same checklist. We adjust services and priorities to your grade.

Freshmen & Sophomores

9th and 10th Grade

You have more calendar time than seniors do. Students who struggle in 12th grade often trace it back to missing structure in 9th and 10th.

What to focus on now

  • Course selection: rigor that matches your target schools
  • Activities: depth in a few areas rather than a long shallow list
  • SAT/ACT: when to prep and when to sit for a first practice test
  • College list: rough reach, match, and safety schools

Recommended service

Strategy Calls: one or two sessions per semester is often enough.

We set milestones (for example, what to have done by the end of sophomore year) so junior spring does not become a scramble.

Juniors

11th Grade

Junior-year courses, activities, test scores, and teacher relationships show up directly on your application. This is when planning turns into drafts.

First semester: Strategy

  • Finalize course plan and GPA trajectory
  • Lock in SAT/ACT dates and prep schedule
  • Brainstorm personal statement themes
  • Build preliminary college list with reach/match/safety balance
  • Identify teachers for recommendation letters

Second semester & summer: Workshop

  • Draft personal statement before August 1 Common App opening
  • Build activities list (150-character descriptions matter)
  • Draft honors/awards section
  • Research school-specific supplements
  • Plan campus visits and demonstrated interest where relevant

Workshop calls are working sessions on your application materials: scheduled time with someone who knows your file.

Seniors

12th Grade

Planning should largely be done. Senior year is for finishing supplements, submitting on deadline, and handling financial aid paperwork.

Summer before senior year

  • Personal statement to near-final draft
  • Common App profile complete (activities, honors, coursework)
  • Recommendation requests sent with brag sheet
  • Early decision/action strategy decided

First semester senior year

  • School-specific supplements (often 3 to 8 per school)
  • Scholarship essays (Coca-Cola, local awards, merit aid)
  • Interview prep and mock alumni interviews
  • FAFSA and CSS Profile
  • Final application review before submit

Workshop blocks through fall keep supplements and recs from piling up against hard deadlines.

7th–8th Graders & Transfers

Other Entry Points

Middle school (7th–8th)

Strategy calls cover high school course pathways and early activity choices. Scope is lighter; the goal is direction, not application assembly.

Transfer students

Transfer Consulting covers credit transfer, spring vs. fall entry, transfer essays, and requirements school by school.

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