Ninth Grade

• Attend September College Counseling Night for an overview of the college process as it pertains to Freshmen and their parents.
• Take PSAT (practice only) in October
• Do well in coursework; keep options open
• Get involved in extra-curricular activities (athletics, clubs, student government, volunteer)
• Participate in a significant summer experience

Tenth Grade

• Attend September College Counseling Night for a more refined overview of the college process as it pertains to Sophomores and their parents.
• Take PSAT (practice only) in October
• Do well in coursework; continue to keep options open
• Continue involvement in extra-curricular activities; Seek out leadership opportunities
• Perhaps begin a few college visits especially during summer
• Participate in a significant summer experience

Eleventh Grade

• Attend September College Counseling Night for a detailed discussion of the college admissions process as it pertains to Juniors and their parents.
• Meet with individual college representatives when they visit Hammond (Visit schedules can be found on the College Counseling bulletin board and in the daily announcements)
• Attend school sponsored PSAT prep session (October)
• Take PSAT in October; also called PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test)
• Continue involvement in extra-curricular activities; Concentrate involvement in those most important to you.
• Parents consider attending Financial Aid Night offered by College Counseling Office; designed for senior parents but junior parents are welcome to attend
• Attend Junior Symposium in January/February (Workshops on selected topics of interest in college admissions)
• Meet with Mrs. Bickley for individual Family College Conference (Feb-April)
• Take SAT twice during spring; (March and May are recommended)
• Write college essay in College Essay Workshops in junior English classes
• Check college SAT Subject Test (SAT II’s) requirements and take SAT Subject Tests (spring/summer)
• Ask two teachers to write college recommendations (May)
• Begin serious college visits in the spring and continue through summer and into fall
• Participate in a significant summer experience

Twelfth Grade

• Meet with Mrs. Bickley to finalize college list and begin actual application process (August-September)
• Register for final SAT; register in August for first fall test
• Complete high school resume’
• Take advantage of college reps who visit Hammond campus
• Recheck college requirements for SAT Subject Area tests (SAT II’s)
• Complete first application by October 1
• Complete all applications by December 1
• Parents attend Financial Aid Night offered by College Counseling Office