The LA Galaxy Academy provides its student-athletes with college counseling. The college counseling ensures that students stay on track to graduate and remain eligible to compete at top universities.

Freshman Checklist
  • Establish strong study habits and time management techniques.
  • Explore and participate in community service.
  • Meet your counselor and start thinking about classes you might want to take at CA Connections.
  • Start a list of any accomplishments or awards to use later when you prepare a resume or fill out college applications.

Sophomore Checklist        
September
  • Concentrate on academic preparation and continue to develop basic skills and extracurricular interests
  • Take challenging classes, when appropriate
  • Register for the PSAT -- good practice for the SAT
  • Participate in community service
October
  • Take the PSAT as a practice test (optional)
  • Stay on top of your academics
  • Be a leader in clubs, sports and other ECA’s
  • Take the Mock SAT or ACT                 
November–January
  • Receive results from PSAT in December
  • PSAT - review strengths and weaknesses
  • Develop learning strategies/plan for taking SAT and/or ACT in junior year        
February–March
  • Keep your grades up
  • Continue with community service
  • Explore summer internships and jobs
  • Take Mock ACT or SAT         
April–May
  • Visit local colleges, attend College Fairs, begin contacting coaches
  • Sign up to take summer classes at a nearby college
  • Volunteer, work or take classes over summer
  • Talk to friends and family about a variety of colleges
  • Register for SAT Subject Tests, if applicable
  • Add to your list of accomplishments and awards   

Junior Checklist        
September
  • Plan college visits
  • Take challenging classes, when appropriate
  • Continue with community service during school year
  • Register with NCAA Clearinghouse
October
  • Take the PSAT
  • Have your counselor evaluate your records for college preparation
  • Make sure you are meeting the “a–g” course requirements for UC/CSU
  • Continue attending college admission representative visits                 
November
  • Network with your peers, family, and friends for information on college choices
  • Start keeping a list of colleges, careers, and majors that might interest you
  • Research colleges
  • Visit local colleges                 
December
  • Research colleges
  • Visit local colleges
  • Explore careers
January
  • Plan a strategy for getting the SAT and/or ACT scores you want
  • Continue community service
  • Register for the SAT, SAT Subject Tests, and/or the ACT
  • Add to your list of accomplishments and awards                
February–March
  • Make a list of your top 10 colleges and begin investigating them
  • Plan college campus visits for your spring break
  • Explore careers/majors more in depth
  • Visit colleges
  • Research and sign up for summer internships
  • Take SAT or ACT
  • Keep your grades up         
April–May
  • Visit colleges
  • Narrow down to 5 schools to focus on investigating further
  • Take SAT or ACT
  • Review test results; decide whether to take preparation course, if re-testing
  • Sign up for and take AP exams in May (if appropriate)
  • Begin drafting resume          
May–August
  • Continue to collect information on your top colleges, majors, and career choices
  • Take summer classes
  • Volunteer or get work experience
  • Brainstorm ideas for writing college personal statement—draft statement
  • Discuss college finances with parents
  • Take test preparation class, if appropriate
  • Review your SAT or ACT scores with counselor
  • Visit more colleges during the summer
  • Ask for teacher recommendations
  • Add to your list of accomplishments and awards
  • College coaches can contact you after July 1st of your junior year.   
 
Senior Checklist        
August
  • Meet with parents to discuss college finances and any other help you need
  • Register for any additional testing and send scores to schools you are sure you will apply to
  • Check transcripts to make sure they are complete and there are no errors
  • Complete your resume (helps teachers with recommendations, and you with applications)
  • Keep brainstorming essay ideas
  • Look into possible scholarships                 
September
  • Visit schools you are interested in and take a tour
  • Create a separate email account for all college info—check it daily
  • Ask for recommendations
  • Make a list of colleges you will apply to and their deadlines
  • Decide if you are applying Early Action or Early Decision to any schools
  • Invite teachers to send recommendations online         
October
  • Online application opens for Cal State Universities on Oct. 1; remember to check each individual campus for deadlines
  • Write your UC personal statement
  • Complete essays for early decision/early action
  • Complete any rolling admission, early action, or early decision applications         
November
  • Online application opens for UCs on Nov. 1
  • Complete UC and CSU applications/essays
  • Register for CSS profile (for financial aid at private schools)
  • Send SAT or ACT test scores to all schools that need them
  • UCs and CSU “impacted” campus application deadline is Nov. 30             
December
  • Continue working on essays/applications for Common App schools
  • Complete all applications
  • Complete all testing        
  • Verify that all schools have received your test scores
January
  • Keep checking deadlines—most private college applications will be due sometime in January
  • Turn in your FAFSA form (for your financial aid package) by March 2
  • Send thank you notes to teachers and counselor for recommendations
  • Check email from colleges
  • If you were admitted somewhere by early decision, you must withdraw all other applications                 
February
  • Most priority deadlines for CSS Profile are in Feb.
  • Check for email from colleges                 
March
  • FAFSA deadline is March 2 for California schools
  • Cal Grants application deadline
  • Complete any requests from schools that admitted you (housing, essays, etc.)        
April
  • Preview programs and visit colleges for an overnight
  • Send Intent to Register, and then notification to colleges you are not attending. (Deadline for Intent to Register is usually May 1). If deferring for a Gap Year, notify the college in writing
  • Check for any other deadlines (e.g. housing, scholarships)—some deadlines will be in early May            
May
  • Send deposit for housing
  • Register for AP tests, if appropriate        
  • Complete enrollment paperwork for your selected college         
June
  • Ask for final transcript to be sent