Build your working plan: Choose the student's current stage, assign each action to the student, family, counselor, or advisor, and set the family's real target dates. In 10 to 15 minutes, you will have a copy-ready execution sheet instead of another admissions calendar.
Stage outcome: Build the application foundation before senior-year deadlines begin.
2. Assign the work
Give every action one owner and a family target date. The proof line defines what "done" means, so a conversation or intention does not get mistaken for completion.
Choose the SAT, ACT, or test-optional research path and record the next decision date.
Completion proof: A written testing plan with the next official date checked at the source.
Create a starter list based on academic, financial, geographic, and campus-fit constraints.
Completion proof: A working list with one reason each school remains under consideration.
Identify likely recommenders and note the school process for requesting letters.
Completion proof: Two possible recommenders plus the counselor or school request steps.
Capture five specific experiences that could support an application story.
Completion proof: Five short story notes naming the situation, choice, and result.
0 of 4 actions complete
Copy the plan into the family's shared notes or task system. Dates entered here are your internal targets, not official institutional deadlines.
3. Verify official dates before committing
This sheet intentionally does not publish universal testing, application, or financial-aid dates. Confirm each date against the testing organization, application platform, and institution that controls it. Record the source next to the family's internal target date.
Need help deciding between ED, EA, and RD before filling the senior fall plan? Use the ED vs. EA vs. RD Admissions Calendar. Need the correct worksheet for a different grade? Start at What Should We Work On Now?.
For a structured four-year roadmap with testing and positioning built in, explore our early planning consulting.
Build your personalized application plan →
Free Guide: The Ivy Ready College Application Playbook
Get the year-by-year strategy guide covering testing, essays, financial aid, and every critical deadline from freshman to senior year.
Get the Free Playbook →