Senior Information / College Timeline / Tips

 

Class of 2026

Please stop by the Cube if you have questions about a potential career, college admissions questions, Trade or CTE questions, Military Information, Volunteering Opportunities, and Job Opportunities.

 

 

Senior Timeline for the College Process

• Summer / Early Fall  – Narrow Down Colleges of Choice
  • Review Admission Requirements for Undergraduates - Look to see what each College/ University requires to apply 
    • GPA
    • Required classes - do they require specific high school class requirements
    • SAT or ACT - how do they use SAT / ACT - requirement for admission or freshmen class placement

• • How to Apply
    • Admission deadlines - Make a list of your top colleges admission deadlines 
    • Bonus for early registration - some universities have early registration, if you apply and accept early- you can receive your class schedule early
    • Fees – there will be a cost for each application you submit– most are nonrefundable.  There are fee waivers available to low income students, review your college websites on how to receive
    • Common App or application through college - look to see how they are wanting you to submit an application.  Every college is different.

• • Finances - How will you be paying for college?  Have those critical conversations now. Colleges / Universities usually have Net Price Calculators on their websites to give you an estimate of your family's EFC (what it is going to cost you to go there).  If you know finances are going to be a major hurdle for you to attend college, please come by the cube - there are many options out there. 

• • Update and / or Create a Resume - Word has templates for Resume's, plus there are a ton of free resume building programs on the internet.  Pick a resume that works best for you.

 

• Fall - Admissions Process Starts

• • Admissions and deadlines
    • Apply (application thru college or Common App to Universities / Colleges / Trade Schools

• • Transcripts - 
    • Official Transcripts for Colleges / Universities that are NOT COMMON APP: TRANSCRIPT REQUEST through the district.
      • Please note - all transcript request must be made through the district, RHS is no longer sending out transcripts.  However, if you are 
    • Common Application - Counselors will upload your transcript with a letter of recommendation.  Please contact your counselor to let them know you will be completing common app.

• • Letters of Recommendation / Resume / Essays
    • Letters of Recommendation - Many (not all) colleges require a recommendation letter from your counselor and 1-2 teachers. Identify which teacher/teachers (ideally from your junior or senior year) know you the best, have taught you in a core subject, and can speak to how you show up in the classroom.
      • Give them your resume or brag sheet
      • Ask EARLY - our teachers get hundreds of requests, some have deadlines, so ask early
      • GIVE THEM A MINIMUM OF 2 TO 3 WEEKS!  Respect their time!
    • Essays – write one and then tweak for different requirements
    • Resume – update with most current information 

• FAFSA (October 1st) - 
  • ALL of Washoe County High Schools will be holding FAFSA nights. (more information coming soon)
  • Contact TMCC or UNR Financial Aid for extra help  with FAFSA (you don’t need to go there to use this service and it is free)

• Late Fall / Winter - Spring -  

• • Scholarships - Start looking in the Fall thru Spring
    • Look at the college you will be attending for first-year scholarships.
    • RHS General - Opens December 1st and the deadline is mid-January.  One application to be eligible for 60 internal scholarships (thanks to all of our wonderful RHS Donors!!)
    • Local vs National - Go Local / State first because you will have smaller pool of candidates. Go for those National Scholarships, but be realistic, you are going against the entire country.
    • There are tons of websites out there for scholarships. Just make sure they are legit and do not sell your name. 
    • You can reuse / tweak essays from your College Essays (don’t reinvent the wheel).  BEWARE: DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF AI FOR COLLEGE ESSAYS

APPLICATION / SCHOLARSHIP TIPS:

• • Try to submit applications at least one week before the due date.  Online servers can get overloaded and stop working properly when everyone submits them on the last day.  In addition, remember to account for the delivery time if mailing an application.
  • DEADLINES!!!!! The majority of free money is first-come, first served. September through January is a great time to seek funds and determine what is due when.
  • NEVER NEVER pay to submit a scholarship application.
  • Always spell check and proof-read applications.
  • Make sure you have submitted everything requested and answered all the questions.
  • Don't submit anything that isn't asked for, and stay under the required word count.
  • Save everything before you submit it, in case your application gets lost and needs to be re-submitted.
  • Professionalize your online presence, remove potentially embarrassing content from social media.  Use an appropriate email address