1. “Beginning and Ending”
Guidance for College Searches and Final Decisions

2. Junior Year
Review your transcript, check grade point average, level of coursework completed (General, Accelerated, AP, or IB)
Register for the ACT and SAT (actstudent.org and collegeboard.com)
Use gacollege411.org, collegeboard.com, or actstudent.org to search for colleges based on interests
Formulate a plan to visit colleges on a weekend or during vacation time
Review the admission requirements for the colleges visited

3. Junior Year
Develop a college list—list colleges based on personal rankings
Number one college is the “dream college”, this is the college the student loves above all others but are not sure they can get accepted into
Number two college is the second choice that meets most of the students’ criteria and they have a good chance of getting accepted
Number three through five are the colleges the student likes but not as well as the top two, they are pretty sure they can get accepted
Number six college is a college that the student likes and are positive they can get accepted, this is the “safety-net” college

4. College application organizer
Early Action Deadline
Regular Deadline
Minimum
GPA
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Recommendations
And Essays?
Transcripts

5. Remaining ACT and SAT Test Dates
June 11, deadline May 6
SAT
May 7, deadline April 8
June 4, deadline May 11

6. HOPE Scholarship All HOPE information listed on gacollege411.org
HOPE scholarship requires 3.0 grade point average in core classes and covers 80% of tuition at a public Georgia college
Zell Miller HOPE scholarship requires a 3.7 grade point average in core classes, a 26 ACT composite or a 1200 SAT (verbal and math only), and covers 100% of tuition at a public Georgia college
Both scholarships may be applied to private colleges in Georgia at a reduced rate
Students apply for HOPE by filling out the FAFSA or HOPE application
Eligibility is determined after the student graduates from high school
Transcripts are uploaded by the county to the gacollege411 website in June

7. GACollege411.org All students have an account on the website
Student accounts have HOPE gpa (core gpa)
Student accounts can be reset by the students’ counselor
each counselor to access log-in information
Last names: A-C
D-Kh
Ki-Re
Ri-Z

8. Senior Year Review graduation requirements and GPA
Finalize the list of colleges to which you want to apply and note the deadlines and requirements
Should you apply early in the fall?
Some things to keep in mind:
Public colleges cannot admit students below the minimum requirements established by the Board of Regents
Private colleges govern themselves and have individual admission policies   
Sign up to take the ACT or SAT if you have not done so or if you have not achieved the score you need—take the tests before the application deadlines!

9. Additional Questions???
College Visit Information: on each college website usually listed under future or prospective student
Admission Requirements: on each college website usually listed under admissions, undergraduate, and specific to freshmen
High School Transcripts and Grade Point Average: contact counseling office secretary for unofficial copies of transcripts. Unweighted and weighted grade point averages are on the transcript.