52 Weeks to College: Week 1

Welcome to your Senior Year! The most exhilarating, wildest year of your life to date. Like all roller coaster rides, this year is going to go by FAST -- there are only 52 weeks between you and college. If you are going to attend the college of your choice, you have to make each of those weeks count. Starting today, with this week.

But before you panic, breathe. You can do it. You just have to get organized, make a plan, and work your plan. So this week is all about getting organized and making your plan. It shouldn't take you more than 2 hours. But, just because it won't take you forever doesn't mean you should put it off or skip it and "go with the flow." You have so much to accomplish in this year that breaking it down into smaller, manageable mini-projects and then staying on top of the mini-projects is essential. Your ultimate success (and sanity) depends on it.

Okay, so you're convinced and ready to get organized and make your plan.

Here's the step-by-step guide to your 52 Weeks to College Plan. (By the way, for those of you who are organizers and planners by nature, some of these steps will seem lame, but as you well know, not everyone is you. So bear with the process and accept that you are ahead of the game this week.)

1. Set up a filing system.

You'll need both a paper filing system and an electronic filing system. For the paper part, get a box with files or a notebook with tabs to keep all the papers that you will accumulate and need to access through this process. For the electronic part, set up a file on your computer AND make a back-up file on a thumb or zipdrive or on the web that you save to regularly.

2. Sort.

Gather up everything you already have related to the college application process and sort and file. Things you might already have: college brochures, test scores, resumes, draft essays, or recommendations.

3. Enter key dates.

Put all key dates and deadlines that you know on a calendar (paper or electronic). Here are some that you should already know or can easily get:

• Testing Registration Deadlines and Test Dates (ACT, SAT I, SAT II)
• Application Deadlines for Schools That Interest You
• Your School Calendar (Testing, Vacations, Special Events, Graduation)
• Your Extracurricular and Sports Schedule for Fall
• Your Big Life Moments for 2009-2010: Birthdays, Anniversaries, Family Trips

You must keep your calendar up-to-date this year. DEADLINES IN THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE. I mean it. They mean it. If you miss the deadline,you've missed your chance to attend that college. So you have to know when they are, keep track, and build in cushion for the inevitable emergencies and delays. Also, in order to get everything done, you are going to have to grab free hours whenever you have them and you need to know when you can focus on the college application process and when you are going to be preoccupied by school or life.

4. Download the 52 Week Plan.

Download the 52 Week Plan and use it to make a plan for the next 52 weeks of your life. This plan breaks the process of getting into the college of your choice into manageable mini-projects. The sequence of the 52 Week Plan corresponds to the typical "regular decision" application calendar for a selective college or university. The mini-projects are designed to take between 2 and 5 hours each week, but if you have not even begun thinking about college until now, you may need more time, and if you have been planning for college since you were in preschool, you may need less time. For additional help with the mini-projects, come back here - each week there will be a blog entry that corresponds to the mini-project.

You can simply use this plan as is, but you will be most successful if you customize it to fit you and your life. Some things you definitely need to consider:

• Applying Early Decision or Early Action? You have to compress everything to meet the earlier application deadlines.
• Testing in the Fall? Make test prep a focus and compress the other activities into other weeks.
• Really involved in fall extracurriculars or sports, and so have lots of things on your calendar that will demand your attention? Align the college application activities with your schedule. Put the hardest college things on weeks when you have a more open schedule.

5. Put the Plan in your calendar.

Once you have your 52 Week Plan, put it on your calendar, so that you know at a glance what has to get done when.

6. Commit.

Finally, commit to working your plan by scheduling the following things on your calendar for next week:

• Set aside the time you need to do Week 2's mini-project. On the 52 Week Plan, next week is about making sure you are scheduled for or have taken all the required tests (and also about how to use test scores).

• Set aside time you need to stay on top of things and plan for the next week. I suggest you pick a regular time on Saturday or Sunday for planning/review time. Take 20-30 minutes to file everything that has come in during the last week, make back-up copies of what's on the computer, update your calendar, and look ahead to the next week and make sure you're ready to go.

That's it - you're now organized and have a plan that youcan use for the next 51 weeks. The ride of your life has begun!

Alison Cooper Chisolm has worked in admissions at Southern Methodist University, the University of Chicago, and most recently Dartmouth College. She is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School. As part of the Ivey Consulting team, Alison works with college applicants and their families as they navigate the college admissions process. Read more about Alison here.