The Whats and Whens of College Planning

When working with a new SAT or ACT prep student, I frequently initiate a session with the following question: what score do you need to get into the school of your choice? 

The answer to this question generally results in two lessons, the first to determine the ideal schools for a student and the second to figure out what SAT or ACT score the ideal schools require for a student. 

Armed with a specific score, I then work with the student to show him or her how to achieve the desired score. This is the basic concept of planning by beginning with the end in mind. 

Nevertheless, in the pursuit of college admission, test scores are only part of the equation. There is much more to college planning than booking a good test score. 

With this in mind, a valuable college planning resource was recently recommended to me: The Complete College Planning Calendar. This infographic is an excellent timeline for students and their families to chart out what is needed and when for college planning. 

Whether or not you will have or use a college planner in your process, this timeline is an excellent way to stay on task and on target. It is a useful resource to plan with the end in mind for the college application process. 

If you find you need test prep advice along the way, contact CROSSWALK. We specialize in ACT/SAT test prep for high schoolers but also offer academic tutoring and learning support for students of all ages. We offer face-to-face tutoring on the Monterey Peninsula and Skype tutors anywhere. Determine your path to learning success here.