February College Readiness Newsletter for High School Families
February is the month most seniors experience as waiting, and the families who use the waiting productively arrive at the decision season in a stronger position. This newsletter covers what to do while the decisions are in the mail.
Scholarships: the February window is real
Scholarship deadlines cluster in February and March, and the seniors who have already completed their college applications are the ones best positioned to give scholarship essays the attention they deserve. Application fatigue is real, but the financial impact of scholarship money is also real.
Start with local scholarships: community foundations, civic organizations, businesses affiliated with the family or school. These have smaller applicant pools and higher rates of award per applicant than national scholarships. Ask the counselor for the school's scholarship list.
Check your FAFSA status
Log into StudentAid.gov and verify that the FAFSA has been processed and received by all schools on the list. If any school does not show a received FAFSA, contact their financial aid office directly. Also check for any verification requirements. A family that does not respond to a verification request will not receive financial aid regardless of need.
Research financial aid policies before decisions arrive
Understanding how different schools approach financial aid before the offers arrive makes it much easier to evaluate them when they come. Look at each school's common data set, which is publicly available online, and find their average grant aid for students with your income profile. Run the net price calculator on each school's website.
Maintain the grades
Senioritis peaks in February and March. The applications are in, the December decision letters are out, and the regular decision results are not yet here. This is exactly when seniors feel the least motivation to do school work.
Second semester senior year grades appear on the final transcript sent to the enrolled school in June. Colleges can and do follow up about significant grade drops. Admission was earned on the basis of the full academic record. Maintaining it through May honors that.
For juniors: plan the campus visits
Spring break in March or April is an ideal time for campus visits. Campuses are in session during spring visits, which means students can sit in on classes, talk with current students in their department of interest, and get a more realistic picture of the school than an admissions tour alone provides. Begin scheduling now.
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Frequently asked questions
What should seniors do in February while waiting for decisions?
Apply for scholarships, verify FAFSA data is complete and correct, research financial aid policies at schools still under consideration, and maintain academic performance. February is also a good month for seniors to begin thinking about what questions they want answered at accepted students days in the spring.
Where do seniors find scholarship opportunities?
Through the school counselor's office, which typically maintains a list of local scholarships, through Scholarships.com and Fastweb, through community organizations, employers, religious institutions, and professional associations. Local scholarships often have lower competition than national ones and are worth prioritizing.
What is verification and why do some FAFSA applicants need to complete it?
FAFSA verification is a process where the Department of Education or a college requests documentation to confirm the accuracy of information on the FAFSA. Families selected for verification receive a notification from the school and must submit specific documents, typically tax returns, within a deadline. Failing to complete verification means financial aid cannot be disbursed.
What should juniors be doing in February?
Preparing for spring SAT or ACT tests, visiting college campuses during school breaks if possible, narrowing the college research list, and talking with the counselor about course selection for senior year. Senior year course load decisions are often made in spring of junior year.
How does Daystage help counselors send February college prep updates to families?
A February newsletter through Daystage can highlight local scholarship deadlines, financial aid verification reminders, and junior year planning steps in one organized message. Counselors who communicate consistently through the waiting period reduce family anxiety and keep students on track.
Adi Ackerman
Author
Adi Ackerman is a former classroom teacher and curriculum writer with 8 years in K-8 schools. She writes about school communication, parent engagement, and what actually works in real classrooms.
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