Printable checklists
Testing Checklist
- Take a practice SAT and a practice ACT
- Focus on whichever one scores better
- Check which schools require scores this year
- Decide whether your student needs ACT Science
- Plan the first real test for spring of junior year
- Practice with the free official tests before paying for anything
- Retake in fall of senior year only if the score can improve
- Look up each school's admitted-student score range
- Check the merit and honors pages for score-triggered scholarships
- Send scores at or above the median, withhold below
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/testing/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
College List Checklist
- Aim for 8 to 12 applications total
- Balance it: 2 to 3 reaches, 4 to 6 matches, 2 to 3 safeties
- Check that every safety is affordable and genuinely liked
- Run the net price calculator on every school
- Confirm each school has the major your student wants
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/building-the-list/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
FAFSA Checklist
- Work out who counts as a contributor
- Create the student's FSA ID
- Create an FSA ID for each contributor
- Find your state's FAFSA deadline
- Find each school's aid deadline
- Check which schools want the CSS Profile
- File at fafsa.gov as soon as it opens
- Add every college you're considering
- Get IRS data consent from every contributor
- Complete the CSS Profile where required
- Read the FAFSA Submission Summary
- Respond to any verification request
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/fafsa/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
Paying-For-It Checklist
- Run each school's net price calculator
- Ask each college what merit aid it offers
- Check local scholarships: employer, clubs, counseling office
- Open or fund a 529
- Check what your 529 covers before you withdraw
- Match every withdrawal to an expense in the same year
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/paying-for-it/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
Comparing Aid Offers
- List each school's full cost of attendance
- Circle only the gift aid on each letter
- Set the loans and work-study aside
- Subtract gift aid from cost of attendance, per school
- Check whether each scholarship is renewable
- Ask whether grant aid holds all four years
- Appeal if your finances changed
- Appeal in writing if you have a stronger offer
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/aid-offers/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
Before You Borrow
- Exhaust gift aid and any appeal first
- Take subsidized federal loans before unsubsidized
- Check the federal loan limit for their year
- Work out the gap with the borrowing gap calculator
- Weigh the total you'd borrow against graduate earnings
- Read every term before signing a private loan
- Check the repayment plan and grace period before you sign
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/student-loans/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
First Credit Card
- Confirm your issuer reports authorized users to the credit bureaus
- Add them as an authorized user, with a low spending limit
- Set up autopay for the full statement balance before the first purchase
- Agree out loud what the card is and is not for
- Read the first two or three statements together, then step back
- If a term abroad is coming, get one card with no foreign transaction fee first
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/first-credit-card/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
The Legal Paperwork Checklist
- Sign the school's FERPA waiver
- Sign a HIPAA authorization
- Sign a healthcare power of attorney
- Sign a financial power of attorney
- Decide health insurance: your plan or the school's
- Waive the school plan by its deadline if you keep yours
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/the-legal-stuff/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
Your Summer Checklist
- Submit the enrollment deposit by May 1
- Complete health forms and immunization records
- Sit down together over the FERPA, HIPAA and power-of-attorney forms
- Set up the tuition payment plan
- Get added to the tuition account as an authorized payer
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/timeline/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
What Your Student Must Do
- Complete the housing application and deposit
- Finish roommate matching
- Ask the high school to send the final transcript
- Register for orientation and finish the online modules
- Register for classes
- Choose a meal plan
- Get the student ID
- Sign the FERPA waiver, HIPAA authorization and powers of attorney
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/timeline/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
Dorm Packing Checklist
- Mattress topper buy › (Amazon)
- Twin XL sheets, two sets buy › (Amazon)
- Shower caddy that drains buy › (Amazon)
- Under-bed storage bags buy › (Amazon)
- Surge protector, long cord buy › (Amazon)
- Removable wall strips buy › (Amazon)
- Bungee cord assortment (topper + car load) buy › (Amazon)
- Weather alert radio (with battery backup)
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/dorm-essentials/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
Before Bid Day Checklist
- Ask for the full fee schedule in writing
- Talk through the time commitment for a first semester
- Ask about the chapter's alcohol and hazing stance
- Check whether the school publishes chapter conduct records
- Agree on a budget before recruitment starts
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/greek-life/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
If They're Homesick
- Remind them almost everyone feels this at weeks 3 to 6
- Encourage one small action: a club, an office hour, a lunch
- Send a care package
- If it is deep or lasts many weeks, loop in campus counseling
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/homesickness/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/
Dorm Medicine Kit
- Labeled organizer box buy › (Amazon)
- Acetaminophen + ibuprofen buy › (Amazon)
- Forehead thermometer buy › (Amazon)
- Day/night cold combo buy › (Amazon)
- Pepto-Bismol chewables buy › (Amazon)
- Travel first-aid kit + antibiotic ointment buy › (Amazon)
- Hydrocortisone anti-itch cream buy › (Amazon)
- Electrolyte packets buy › (Amazon)
- Menstrual heat wraps buy › (Amazon)
- Cough drops, elastic bandage, ice pack buy › (Amazon)
Printed from collegeboundlife.com/dorm-medicine-kit/ · every checklist: collegeboundlife.com/checklists/