Three things students should do to prepare for their senior year

May 3, 2022

Senior year of high school is exciting, but the truth is – it can also be very overwhelming.

That’s why the more that high school students do to prepare for their senior year, the smoother their senior year will go for them.

For students planning to pursue postsecondary education, three things to think about are career, education, and money. And for each of those three things, there are things that high school juniors (or even freshmen or sophomores in some cases) can do now to get ready for their senior year:

1. Determine the career fields you are interested in attending. Mapping Your Future's CareerShip at mappingyourfuture.org/planyourcareer/careership/ is a tool that allows you to explore career options and specific jobs.
2. Determine the school(s) you are interested in attending.
   • Prepare that list so you can list them when you complete the FAFSA.
   • Use the College Scorecard to learn more about the schools: collegescorecard.ed.gov/
   • Check the websites of the schools you plan to list on the FAFSA. Check on the admissions requirements, institutional financial aid, and scholarship deadlines.
3. Determine the cost of the college being considered.
   • Use the FAFSA Forecaster to get an idea of what your EFC might be.
   • Apply for scholarships.
   • Perform scholarship searches.
   • Obtain your FSA ID which will be needed for filing the FAFSA and for all interactions with studentaid.gov.

Not only will early preparation help the senior year in high school go better, it will put the students on a path to a well-planned future.