You are now ready to apply to college! What do you need to do?
Your ETS advisor will review the following guides and curriculum with you over the course of senior year, so you won't miss anything! But parents & students, please feel free to take a look through things own your own. This is all here and available for your benefit!
Check our comprehensive senior checklist. See a graphic version below.
Your first ETS meeting of senior year is all about getting you ready for college—with support every step of the way.
Here’s what we’ll do:
- Catch Up & Get Started: We’ll check in about your summer, complete your senior intake form, and walk through key resources on the ETS website.
- Review Your Classes & Transcript: We’ll make sure you're on track academically and note any Running Start or dual enrollment classes you’re taking.
- Update Your College & Career Plans: We’ll talk about your intended major and career interests, and help you build a strong college list that includes reach, match, and safety schools.
- Plan for Applications & Financial Aid: We’ll go over the college timeline and help you plan for deadlines, the Common App, and financial aid. If you're taking or retaking the SAT or ACT, we’ll talk about study tools and how to get a fee waiver.
- Explore Scholarships: You’ll learn how to qualify for College Board’s Big Future Scholarships just by completing key steps—like building your college list and adding 3 scholarships to your search.
By the end of this meeting, you’ll have a clear plan and tools to move forward with confidence. We’re excited to support you this year!
Below are additional items your advisor will review with you in your first meeting to make sure you are ready for the college, financial aid & scholarship application processes!
- ETS Financial Aid Checklist
- Creating an FSA ID Information Sheet (account required to fill out the FAFSA)
- ETS College List Tracking Spreadsheet
- Common App Guide
- SAT & ACT Information (if you are planning to take either test again). If you aren't sure whether you should or not, talk to your ETS advisor about it!
What to Expect at Your October-November ETS Senior Meeting
At this meeting, we focus on making sure your college applications and financial aid plans are on track as deadlines approach.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Application Progress: We’ll review your college application status, including whether you’re applying early action or early decision, and discuss all application deadlines. We’ll also cover any extra essay prompts or specific requirements schools may have. The goal is to have applications ready to submit by the end of December so you can focus on scholarships afterward.
- Financial Aid Preparation: We’ll talk about the FAFSA process, which can be complicated and depends on your family’s situation—especially which parent(s) need to create an FSA ID to file. We’ll help you create your FSA ID (for you and the appropriate parent). If we can’t finish it together, we’ll show you how to do it at home using resources on the ETS website. We’ll also discuss if the CSS Profile is required for your colleges.
- College List & Deadlines: We’ll review your college list and make sure you know each school’s financial aid deadlines. Some schools have early FAFSA deadlines, so staying on top of those is important.
- Scholarships: We’ll remind you to check the ETS scholarship spreadsheet for scholarships with early deadlines and encourage you to keep applying.
This meeting helps you stay ahead in the application and financial aid process, reducing stress as senior year moves forward.
