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Welcome to February’s CATES College Checklist!

Our monthly admissions-focused newsletter, the CATES College Checklist brings you the month’s important dates and deadlines along with testing and advising resources relevant to your student’s year in school.

As your students begin to settle into their second semesters, they might be surprised by an email from their counselors asking them to choose courses for next year. While it may seem impossibly distant for them to imagine, thoughtful choices are necessary to ensure their high school course load prepares them for a successful college application narrative specific to their future goals. Academic rigor and outcomes are consistently ranked number one in importance by college admissions.

Last updated: February 2024

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Freshmen

It is crucial for your freshmen to set up the proper pathways to reach their college admissions goals. Their transcripts must include certain AP or IB courses to be considered at highly selective universities, and the prerequisites must be taken now. For example, students with a future in STEM who are currently taking Algebra I should consider doubling up on math and taking Geometry and Algebra II concurrently so that they are able to take AP Calculus as a senior, a course necessary to be competitive as a STEM candidate at top schools.

Freshman Checklist

Academics

Admissions

  • February: Research summer opportunities to further develop your passions, and submit summer program applications

Sophomores

When choosing courses for their junior year, your sophomores should consider their strengths and affinity for past courses. While many are not exactly certain “what they want to be when they grow up,” there is usually an inclination toward STEM, arts and humanities, or social sciences, and this direction should guide their course choice. This might also be a good opportunity to take a course in a new discipline to explore their interests, such as AP Psychology.

Sophomore Checklist

Academics

Admissions

  • February: Research summer opportunities to further develop your passions, and submit summer program applications

Testing

Juniors

While your juniors might be tempted to reduce the level of academic rigor when choosing senior-year courses, it is extremely important for them to maintain a high standard so that they do not disqualify themselves from competitive schools. When making selections, they should be aware of the application requirements for their colleges of interest—for example, when opting between AP Bio and AP Enviro for their science, they should be aware that AP Bio is necessary for entrance into top universities. This is an especially good time for them to begin seeing college campuses so that they can get in the spirit of competition for college admissions.

Junior Checklist

Academics

Admissions

  • February: Decide on a schedule for school visits in the spring, summer, and fall
  • February: Identify prospects for summer internships
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      The summer before senior year offers the perfect opportunity for your students to show colleges they are serious about their intended program of study by completing an internship in the field. Because these opportunities can be competitive, your juniors should be researching local businesses or firms that might support such a role and contacting them via email.

Testing

Seniors

Your seniors’ early admissions decisions have been trickling in, and any deferments should be responded to with Letters of Continued Interest. These letters will offer specific updates about your student’s extracurricular activities throughout the fall so that their application will stand out in the next round of reviews; they should also explicitly state to their top choice their willingness to accept if an offer is extended. Updates should be made to their Common App as well.

Senior Checklist

Academics

Admissions

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