For students getting ready to start their senior year in 2024, now is an ideal time to prepare for their college and career training after high school. In addition to scheduling campus visits, there are several steps your student can take this summer and fall to make themselves more appealing for college admissions.

Studying and taking the SAT and ACT

Many colleges and universities made SAT and ACT scores optional as part of their application process. If your student has decided what school they would like to attend, have them check with the admissions department to see what the school’s requirements will be for the 2025-26 admissions. If the school is asking for these test scores, your child should start studying now for those exams.

The College Board, the organization that offers the SAT and AP exams, have listed the 2024-25 school year SAT test dates on their website. College Board also provides practice exams for students to take and review before taking the real one.

Currently, ACT Inc. is also scheduling exam dates for the 2024-25 school year. To help students to continue to study for the exam, ACT offers practice tests and other testing resources.

Planning for their higher education

Now is also a good time to figure out what type of school your child would like to attend after graduation.

 If it’s a trade school or apprenticeship, start researching the best schools and programs in their fields of interest. 529s can be used to pay for certain qualified costs for apprenticeship programs that have been accredited by the U.S. Department of Labor. 529 plans can used tax free to pay for trade and vocational schools’ expenses as well.

If it’s a certificate program, make sure the program accepts federal financial aid so you can use your 529 plan for the program.

Community colleges are also a great option for your child to start their higher education. To keep the costs low while earning a bachelor’s degree, your students can earn core curriculum credits at a community college, which can be transferred to a four-year college. Look at area two-year schools to see which ones specialize in careers your child might like to pursue. Again, your 529 account can pay for those required costs at both the two-year and four-year colleges.

If it’s a four-year college or university, take time to research which ones are known for your child’s major. You’ll also want to be sure to research schools closer to home than can still fulfill their collegiate dreams, potentially at a lower price.

If your child plans to play a collegiate sport, you must register them with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). By setting up a NCAA account, you will get access to the process you will need to complete to play at a collegiate level as well as make official visits to the school that your child is interested in attending. You will receive reminders about the forms to complete and the deadlines.

Prepare to fill in the Common Application

More than 1,000 higher education institutions use a single online application for admissions, called the Common App. To start, set up an account and see what information you need for the application. These documents can include letters of recommendations, high school transcripts, and test scores. Your child will also need to select what schools they will want to send their application to. The Common App offers a first-year student guide to navigate the sign-up process.

 If your child’s preferred schools don’t use the Common App, visit the schools’ websites to create a timeline when the applications and accompanying paperwork are due. The higher education deadlines can sneak up once your child’s high school senior year begins.

Choosing the right classes

Advanced Placement (AP) classes give your student an opportunity to earn college credit while still meeting their high school graduation requirements. At the end of the AP course, your child will need to take an exam to receive college credits. A score of 3 or above will earn corresponding college credit at any of Ohio’s institutions of higher education. Visit Ohio Department of Higher Education to learn more about the AP Program to look up what college credit can be earned at each of Ohio’s colleges and universities for your student’s AP test score.

For Ohioans, ODHE also offers College Credit Plus (CCP) as an opportunity for Ohio students in grades 7-12 to earn college credit by taking classes offered through public community colleges and universities, as well as private colleges and universities. These credits also count toward their high school graduation requirements. Check the CCP website for deadlines and instructions.

Career-Technical Assurance Guides (CTAGs), aligns career-technical education offered at high schools to specific college courses at public community colleges and universities in the state of Ohio. To be eligible for credit, students must complete their program, pass the end of course assessment(s) and/or earn an industry-recognized credential, and matriculate to the participating college or university of their choice.

Prepare For FAFSA

This one is for parents as well as students. Dedicate time to collect information needed for the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can start filling in FAFSA beginning December 1.

FAFSA is the form used to apply for federal financial aid to attend four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, trade and vocational schools, and graduate schools. Most higher education institutes also will use the FAFSA information to determine the amount of financial aid the school will provide to students.

Federal student aid is available in a variety of forms. Need-based federal financial aid is typically offered in the form of grants, scholarships, work-study, or subsidized loans. Before you accept any aid, make sure you understand the financial commitments that come with each one. A Pell Grant will not have to be repaid. Federally subsidized student and parental loans must be repaid with interest. 

Scholarship search

Some scholarships usually have deadlines a year out from when the dollars are released. If your student would like to compete for these scholarships to help cover their college costs, then they will need to fill out the application the summer before their senior year of high school. Federal Student Aid offer guidance on scholarships, including other sources to tap for more information, including the free scholarship search tool from the U.S. Department of Labor. There are many free online scholarship sites to research like Sallie Mae, FinAid, and FastWeb to name a few. On these sites, your child would create a profile with their academic scores, community service and volunteering, athletic and academic activities. Then they will be matched with scholarship applications for which they are eligible.

Sallie Mae also offers the Paying For College Resource. The website assembles free tools, videos, and checklists to follow as you all prepare for your children’s higher education. It even shows what steps to take to fill out FAFSA and how to  understand your financial aid letters. There’s even a monthly $2,000 scholarship for which your child can register for and they don’t even have to write an essay.

Summertime is a great time to prepare for your child’s next steps to their college and career training after high school. If you would like to take some steps to prepare their higher education as well, check out Ohio’s tax-free 529 Plan. Learn, plan, and start an Ohio 529 account today at CollegeAdvantage.com.

This article was originally posted in July 2020 and has been updated to reflect new information for 2024.