Grades: Work hard in your classes. Continue to use good work habits and time management skills for homework. Use Roo Time, teacher office hours, and other LWHS resources if you need support.

Activities: Get involved in activities inside and outside of school that are meaningful to you.

Stay in the know: Find information about college and career events, post high school options, college, financial aid, scholarships, career exploration, contests, jobs, internships, volunteer and more on Instagram.

High School and Beyond Plan: The  HSBP is a Washington state graduation requirement that supports students in exploring their career interests, planning high school coursework aligned to interests, researching schools, keeping track of activities and more throughout their 4-years at LWHS. The Plan is designed to enable students to successfully pursue education or training after graduation. LWSD uses Xello to house HSBP tools and assignments. You will participate in grade level activities.

PSAT: All LWSD Sophomores typically take a (free) PSAT as practice for the "real" Junior year PSAT (which is also a practice). Remember that the 10th grade PSAT is just a "practice for a practice" which means ZERO stress. The PSAT is typically offered in October.

SAT/ACT Planning: Start thinking about the SAT/ACT. Many schools are test optional but prepping can maximize options later. The PSAT can serve as a practice SAT, but it's nice to take a practice ACT so you know which test works best for you. Colleges will accept either. 

Register for the upcoming School Year: Register for courses for the next school year. 

Activities: Keep track of activities, work experience, etc. in your Xello portfolio. Trust us, you’ll appreciate good record keeping during Senior Year.

Summer Plans: Start thinking about summer. Volunteer? A summer job? Career exploration program on a college campus? 

Athletes: Get familiar with NCAA Eligibility requirements if you want to play sports in college.

CTE Dual Credit: Career and Technical Education (CTE) Dual Credit provides career pathways for high school students and the chance to earn dual high school and college credit for eligible LWHS CTE classes. Register and pay for credit by June 15th

Summer Activity or Work: Plan to relax and participate in a meaningful summer activity or work as time permits.

Visits: Start visiting colleges and other post high school options to get a sense of what you like and don’t.

SAT and ACT: Consider doing the bulk of your SAT/ACT prep this summer. You can always fine tune throughout Junior year, but it will be good to have the heavy lifting behind you. Link your 10th grade PSAT results to Khan Academy for free summer practice tools. You'll roll into the 11th grade PSAT/NMSQT with confidence.

Options: There are so many options and we're here to help. We've loaded the College and Career website with resources on the 4-year college, community/technical college, apprenticeships, military, gap year and direct-to-work pathways.

Stay in the know: Find information about college and career events, post high school options, college, financial aid, scholarships, career exploration, contests, jobs, internships, volunteer and more on Instagram.

Visit Opportunities, Area Events and Fairs: Updates coming soon.

Applications: Get started or continue working on applications. Plan to meet all deadlines. If you need a fee waiver, contact your counselor. App portals vary by school and include the Common Application, Coalition application, state-wide systems and individual school portals. 

Grades: With test scores optional at many schools this year, grades and other application elements become more important. 

SAT/ACT: If a college requires scores and/or you wish to include them as part of your app, send them directly from College Board or ACT to your intended colleges. 

College Essays: You will do a practice college or scholarship essay in your senior LWHS English course. Essay prompts are unique to each application. Check if supplemental essays are also required.

Transcripts: Carefully check requirements. Common Application: Your counselor will automatically upload a transcript. Coalition Application: Make the transcript request to your counselor within the college-specific portion of the portal. Some large schools, including UW, do not require transcripts as part of the application. If you need a copy of your transcript (it’s nice to have one handy when you’re filling out applications) or one uploaded to Washington State University, Read more about LWHS transcript requests.

Letters of Recommendation: Some schools and scholarships require reference letters.

Decision Plans: Many Early Action and Early Decision deadlines happen in late October to early November. Early Decision is binding so run a Net Price Calculator to estimate costs.

Financial Aid Night: Check out LWSD’s Financial Aid Night for important tips on paying for college or career school.

FSA ID: Apply for a FSA ID and keep your login information in a safe place. You will refer to it often.

FAFSA or WASFA: Work w/ your parents to gather financial documents to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA opens on October 1st. After applying, check your Student Aid Report (SAR) for errors and make any necessary corrections. If you’re not eligible for federal financial aid, use the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA)

CSS Profile: Some schools require an additional financial aid form called the CSS/Financial Aid Profile. Determine if a school of interest requires one by searching the financial aid tab of their website or check the list.

Scholarships: For college-specific scholarships, check individual websites for dates and requirements. For outside scholarships, consider registering with Washboard to be matched to scholarships offered to students in the state of Washington.

Athletes: Info on eligibility to play sports at Division I, II, or III is available on the NCAA Eligibility website. You need to be certified by the Eligibility Center to make official visits, sign a national letter of intent and compete at a DI and DII school. You may create a Profile Page if you plan to compete at a DIII school or are not yet sure where you want to compete.
 

Deadline Alert: College applications with early January deadlines that require Counseling office support (transcripts, Letters of Recommendation) must be submitted to the Counseling Center by early December to guarantee processing before the holiday break.

Early Decisions: Check your mail, email, and application portals—offers of early admission may start arriving. Celebrate and/or keep motivated with final applications. If you were accepted Early Decision, check the deadline for acceptance and meet that deadline.
Missing Items: Sometimes your application file is missing an item. Respond promptly to email requests and/or application portal flags.

2nd Semester Schedule Changes: Senior year course schedules are key parts of an admission decision. Avoid adjustments. Notify admission offices if you need to make a change.
 

Decisions: Continue to check your mail, email and portals for admission decisions.
Admitted Student Events: Some colleges host open houses for admitted students. These are great opportunities to get information about registering for housing, campus life and how to prepare for the fall. Research residential housing deadlines and deposits.

Other Options: Apply to community college, technical school, apprenticeship, service and gap year programs. Contact your LWHS counselor or the College and Career Center if you need extra support.

Scholarships: Continue to look for scholarships. This is a popular time for scholarships offered through the PTSA, local organizations, etc. Keep track of requirements and deadlines.

Destination Day Plans: As you start to make decisions, let us know what's next for you. We'll publish our Destination Day collection procedures after mid-winter break and then celebrate decisions in May.

Compare Schools: Think about which school offers  the best academic, social and financial fit. Compare financial aid packages.

Wait List: If you're on a wait list, investigate the process, express interest if appropriate but move ahead with other plans and deposits.

No Thanks: Notify any colleges that you’ve decided against as a courtesy to other applicants.

Money Matters: Carefully review financial aid package offers, noting any differences in scholarships/grants versus loans versus work study.

High School and Beyond Plan: Make sure your HSBP is up to date. It’s a grad requirement.

Prepare for AP Tests: Your preparation could translate into credit at your new college.

Decision Day: Formally accept your offer of admission as instructed by your school. Submit your housing application if you plan to live on campus in the fall. Formally accept offers of financial aid.

LWHS Destination Day: College, tech school, military, apprenticeship, service, work, something else? Let us know where you are heading.  \We can’t wait to celebrate you!

Take AP Tests: Take AP exams and request that scores be sent to the college you will be attending.

Check your College Email: You’re an incoming freshman, get used to (and use!) that new email address.

Scholarship and Military Plans for Grad Program: Report college or outside scholarships and/or plans to serve in the military. See Teams for the forms.

Grades: Remember, that your college acceptance is provisional until your official final transcript is received by the Admissions Office. Grades matter!

CTE Dual Credit: Last chance to pay for CTE Dual Credit classes to earn college credit for eligible LWHS CTE classes.

College Transcripts: If you’ve earned college credit through Running Start, College in the High School, CTE Dual Credit or a separate course, request your transcript be sent to your future college so credit can be evaluated before course selection begins.

Make plans for orientation: Sometimes orientation is held in the summer, sometimes right before school starts. Reserve your spot!

Say Thanks: Send thank you notes to anyone who helped you in your application process.  We love to hear where you have decided to do in the fall.

Graduate: You made it! Savor your accomplishments and celebrate with your family, LWHS classmates and staff.