Use this page in late summer or early fall, before applications go out, when you want a calm read on whether your student is ready enough to open the season. Mark each item Ready, In motion, Missing, or Not yet, then copy the checkpoint.
This is not the junior-year watch list on the parent junior-year on-track checklist. It is not the already-slipping triage in what parents should do when a student falls behind. If the file is already late, use that post instead of this sheet.
| This checkpoint | Not this checkpoint |
|---|---|
| Early senior, before applications go out: list lock, family ED/EA status, essay start (not a parent draft), testing stop or sit, recs asked by your student, household readiness, and visit-before-ED if ED is in play. | Junior-year on-track items, or a crisis plan after the process is already late. |
| You leave with a completed Ready / In motion / Missing / Not yet record you can paste into a shared note. | You write the essays, email the teachers, or take the student logins. Standing owners live on the responsibility map. |
0 of 6 required items marked
Mark whether Early Decision is on the table and complete the six core items before copy turns on.
Set the Early Decision gate
The visit row appears only when Early Decision is on the table. For binding money risk, read Early Decision and financial aid. Your student can check strategy on the Early Action strategy quiz. This page only records the family status.
Mark the early-senior items
Ready means the item is settled enough to open applications. In motion means work has started. Missing means it should already exist. Not yet means the window has not opened. If the list is a live fight, use the college-list disagreement protocol. Household facts themselves live on the Common App parent household worksheet. Testing spend and score-talk rules live on parent testing support boundaries. Parent essay comments stay on the parent college essay feedback protocol.
College list lock
Has your student locked a working list that is honest enough to start applications?
You state family constraints. Your student owns the names on the list.
Family ED/EA decision
Has the family recorded whether Early Decision or Early Action is in play this cycle?
This is a family yes, no, or not-yet. It is not a student strategy quiz.
Essay sequence started
Has your student started the essay sequence (a topic or a first draft)?
Started means your student began the writing. A parent-written draft does not count.
Testing stop or sit
Has the family decided to stop testing or sit one more date before early applications?
You may pay and calendar. Your student owns the sitting and the score-send choice.
Recommendations requested
Has your student asked the teachers (and the counselor, if the school expects it)?
You may remind once. You do not send the ask.
Household and account readiness
Are household facts and parent-side accounts queued so season open is not a scramble?
Facts belong on the household worksheet. Your student keeps student logins.
Copy the checkpoint
Paste this into a shared note. If an item is Missing, the next step is a parent-watched reminder, not taking the keyboard.
Role language (what you do not take over) stays on how parents can help without taking over. A mixed execution list for later in the season is the college application checklist. If you want a hosted conversation about whether support would help this year, start at parent college application support.