Sophomore Year Checklist

Introduction

If you haven’t finished all the steps in the Freshman Year Checklist, complete those steps before starting the outside scholarship search process.

If you have completed all freshman year tasks, then proceed to the Next Steps.

First Priority

1.  Your Academics

Take the most rigorous course load that you can handle and work hard.  Not only will your high school transcript will be the most important factor in the admissions process, it will also be the most important factor in the selection process for many school-based merit scholarships and outside scholarships.

Work hard and work smart!  Don’t coast.  If a little extra effort will mean better grades, then just do it!

Next Steps

1.  Review and Update

1. Update your Family Resource Worksheet for any changes to the amounts of money you have available to pay for college.

2. Update your Net Price Worksheet by re-running your existing net price estimates and adding a few more schools.

2.  Commit to Your Outside Scholarship Search

Although you won’t actually apply for most outside scholarships until your senior year, you should begin compiling a list of specific scholarship opportunities during your sophomore year of high school. Since this is a labor intensive process, you should schedule a few hours each month during the sophomore and junior year.

1. Read the Outside Scholarship tip sheet.

2. Download the Outside Scholarship Worksheet.

3. Register with one of the free outside scholarship search services and begin reviewing scholarship opportunities.

4. Enter relevant information for a few scholarships on the Worksheet.

5. Set up a calendar reminder and spend a few hours a month adding additional scholarships to your Worksheet.