October

Important dates

• October 1:

  • CSS Profile is released (some schools require you to complete this in addition to the FAFSA for financial aid)

  • FAFSA 25-26 Application opens

• October 18: Deadline to register for November SAT

  • Note: As stated in September, make sure your mentee is vigilant about registering for the SAT. Testing sites are being cancelled quite regularly and sometimes very last minute, so the mentee should make sure they stay on top of changes and register for a new testing date if necessary.

• October 5: SAT

• October 22: Deadline for late registration for November SAT

To do:

1. Make a college list and start applications

   • Make sure you are applying to a mix of target, reach, and safety schools

   • Building your college list

   • Use these tools to compare colleges

   • Look into schools that meet 100% of need

   • List of schools that are now test optional 

2. Continue applying to fly-in programs (optional)

3. Continue working on or finishing college essay for the Common App

   • Have at least a rough draft ready at this point

   • Yleana's guide to writing college application essays

4. By early October, your student should have asked 3 people to write letters for them

   • Check the recommendation requirements for the colleges your student is thinking of applying to

   • At least 1-2 should be a teacher in the subject they wish to major in

   • Usually 1 can be a non-teacher, someone who knows them well and can speak to their abilities and personal qualities

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Yleana has tons of resources to help you in your college search. Here are a few to get you started:

• list of colleges with programs for historically underrepresented students

• colleges for high flyers to look into (if you're getting 500+ on both Verbal and Math and 3.5+ GPA)

• list of HBCUs

• list of women's colleges

You can find even more resources here