- College Planning Checklist
- College Testing
- College Rep Visits
- Researching Colleges
- College Applications
- Careers & Majors
- Financial Aid for College
- College Athletic Information
College Planning Checklist
College Testing
General Testing Information
College admission tests, combined with a student’s academic record, help college admission officers make fair and informed admission decisions. The best time to take college admission tests is in the spring of your junior year and October of your senior year.
The best way to perform as well as possible on the SAT or ACT is to be a good student - not to try to cram, but to be a good student over the long term. Be an adept, careful, subtle, insightful reader. Read as much as you can, write a lot, learn to use language effectively, take challenging courses, and solve problems in and out of school. Think - that's the best way to maximize one's performance on the SAT and ACT.
Helpful websites for planning to take either the SAT or ACT test:
- College Board (Administrators of the SAT and AP)
- ACT
- National Center for Fair and Open Testing
Free Test Prep:
SAT Exam
Test Dates and Registration Deadlines
Below are the SAT test dates. Visit the College Board website for more information and to register for the test.
Test Date |
Registration |
Late |
---|---|---|
August 26, 2017 | July 28, 2017 | August 8, 2017 |
October 7, 2017 | September 8, 2017 | September 19, 2017 |
November 4, 2017 | October 5, 2017 | October 17, 2017 |
December 2, 2017 | November 2, 2017 | November 14, 2017 |
March 10, 2018 | February 9, 2018 | February 28, 2018 |
May 5, 2018 | April 6, 2018 | April 17, 2018 |
June 2, 2018 | May 3, 2018 | May 15, 2018 |
ACT Exam
Test Dates and Registration Deadlines
Below are the ACT test dates. Visit the ACT website for more information and to register for the test.
Test Date | Registration | Scores |
February 10, 2018 | January 12, 2018 | February 21, 2018 |
April 14, 2018 | March 9, 2018 | April 24, 2018 |
College Rep Visits
Researching Colleges
Here are some websites that are very helpful in identifying and researching colleges that would be a good fit for your student.
- Naviance: Naviance has many tools to help with your college search. Using your login information set-up by La Reina, start simple with the “college search” function. If you would like to narrow your search, use the SuperMatch college search option, which will give you more insight into individual colleges. If you discover a college in which you are interested, save it to your “college I’m thinking about” list.
- College Board’s Big Future: This is another good resource for your college search.
- College Niche: Looking for reviews from real students? College Niche surveys students at colleges on a variety of topics and students give real feedback. These reviews are a place to start, but don’t let them stop you from forming your own opinions about a college.
- California Colleges: Explore your options for higher education in California.
- California State University System: Explore the Cal State schools! 23 great colleges at an affordable price tag.
- University of California System: Explore the UCs! 9 unique campuses all over California.
- Catholic Colleges: Information on Catholic colleges and universities committed to promoting the value of Catholic higher education.
- College that Change Lives: A group of colleges dedicated to providing a student-centered education.
- Virtual Campus Tours: Can’t visit? This website allows you to take virtual tours of schools across the country.
- Western Undergraduate Exchange: Want to go out of state, but don’t want to pay out of state tuition? Check out these great options.
College Applications
These are the most commonly used online college applications.
- Common Application: The majority of national private colleges and some out of state public colleges use the Common App.
- University of California (UC): Fill out this one application and apply to any of the UC campuses that interest you.
- California State University: Fill out this one application and apply to any of the CSU campuses that interest you.
There are two other less commonly used online college applications:
- The Universal Application: Several East Coast colleges and highly selective colleges offer this application as an avenue to apply. Most of these colleges also accept the Common Application.
- Coalition for College Access Application: A brand new college application and planning platform.
Careers & Majors
La Reina uses Naviance to help students explore career and major options. During in-class workshops, we guide students through personality and career interest inventories to allow them to identify potential career paths. Here are a few other websites with helpful resources on careers and college majors.
- College Majors 101: Explore college majors
- College Board’s Big Future: Explore Majors and Careers
- O*Net: Career Exploration Tools
Financial Aid for College
Below are great resources on financial aid, scholarships and making college affordable:
- FAFSA: Free Application Federal Student Aid, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation.
- CSS/Financial Aid Profile: This is a non-federal financial aid profile which some schools require in addition to the FAFSA.
- FastWeb Scholarship Search: Learn about scholarships that may be available to you.
- FinAid: The financial aid information page.
- Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE): Learn about Western Undergrauate Exchange Program.