It’s August, which means it’s almost time for students to head back to high school for another academic year. The end of the summer is the perfect time to set a solid college prep plan for student success over the next nine months of school—especially for seniors facing college admission season. Start planning now with monthly to-dos, important deadlines, holidays, and more.
General college prep and planning
- High school freshmen: It’s almost time for the exciting new adventure of high school! Make sure ninth graders are prepared with our guide on Freshman Year of High School: Our Best Survival Advice, covering everything from extracurriculars to grades to early college prep and more.
- High school sophomores: 10th graders can also prepare for the upcoming year with their own survival guide, Sophomore Year of High School: Our Best Survival Advice. Students can find help on avoiding the sophomore slump, studying for the PSAT, starting the scholarship search, and more.
- High school juniors: 11th grade is when college starts to feel real. This is the year students need to take standardized tests, start brainstorming college essays, and start to formulate a list of colleges they’d like to apply to next fall. They can get through all this and more with our guide on Junior Year of High School: Our Best Survival Advice.
- High school seniors: This is it—the last year of high school and the year your students will hopefully make it into their dream colleges. Senior Year of High School: Our Best Survival Advice walks 12th graders through applications, essays, scholarships, standardized tests, and so much more to help them prepare for their next academic journey.
Month-long observances and events
- National Family Fun Month: Before getting too wrapped up in back-to-school planning, students should take some time in early August to have fun with their families before everyone gets busy again.
- National Back to School Month: We’ve already been talking about it—August is National Back to School Month. Now is the time for students to start getting ready for a new academic year and all the excitement and challenges ahead.
Monday, August 1
SAT live online trial class
The ACT and SAT prep platform Kaplan is hosting three free trial courses in August to start prepping for the SAT. Students can sign up for the first session on Monday the 1st from 6:30–8:30 pm ET.
Wednesday, August 3
SAT live online trial class
If students miss the first session, they can sign up for this SAT live trial class on Wednesday the 3rd from 2:00–4:00 pm ET.
Thursday, August 4
National US Coast Guard Day
Happy National Coast Guard Day! If your students are interested in joining this noble profession, they should check out maritime schools with our article on Maritime Colleges: A Valuable Road Less Traveled.
Qixi Festival
Also known as the Qiqiao Festival, the Qixi Festival honors Chinese mythology through worship of natural astrology.
SAT live online trial class
Today is the last chance for students to take a free SAT online trial class with Kaplan. This session will take place from 8:00–10:00 pm ET on Thursday the 4th.
Friday, August 5
ACT Regular registration deadline
Today is the Regular registration deadline for the September 10 ACT test date.
Saturday, August 6
Scholly Relief Fund deadline
Today is the last day for students to enter the Scholly Relief Fund scholarship to help pay for vital expenses. It only takes a few minutes to apply!
Tuesday, August 9
Advance Personal Statement course
This live course from College Essay Guy Ethan Sawyer runs from today through Friday, August 19. Four sessions covering advanced techniques for completing personal statements start at 7:00 pm ET and run for either one or two hours depending on the content of the session. Students can sign up today, but be aware this is not a free opportunity.
National Book Lovers Day
Share your love of books with your students by giving them some awesome reading suggestions with our “book recommendations” tag!
Wednesday, August 10
Free SAT/ACT score webinar for parents
Prep Expert’s Dr. Shaan Patel is offering another free parents webinar on 10 secrets to raising standardized test scores and winning big scholarships to top colleges. Parents can sign up for this webinar that starts at 3:00 pm ET on Wednesday the 10th.
National S’mores Day
Summer is coming to a close! Squeeze in some classic summer fun with a (safe) fire and some s’mores.
Thursday, August 11
UC Personal Insight Questions webinars
College Essay Guy is offering another live course on How to Write the UC Personal Insight Questions. Sessions on brainstorming, outlining and writing, and revising/upleveling will run every Thursday from 7:00–8:00 pm ET for three weeks from August 11–25. This is not a free opportunity, but payment plans are available.
Saturday, August 13
Left Handers Day
Big shoutout to all our left-handed friends! Did you know there’s even an official Left Handers Club?
Tuesday, August 16
SAT Late registration deadline
Today is the Late registration deadline as well as the deadline for changes or cancellations for the August 27 SAT test date.
Friday, August 19
ACT Late registration deadline
Today is the Late registration deadline for the September 10 ACT test date.
National Aviation Day
National Aviation Day is celebrated to honor aviation pioneer Orville Wright’s birthday! If you know students considering aviation engineering as a career, they can start searching for schools with our featured science college lists.
Saturday, August 20
National Honeybee Awareness Day
Save the bees and save the planet! Students who really have a passion for the environment should check out 10 Colleges That Went Green Before It Was Cool.
Friday, August 26
Women’s Equality Day
Today commemorates women gaining the right to vote in the US in August 1920 when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified.
Saturday, August 27
SAT test date
Today is an SAT test date for students across the country.
SAT & ACT Date Wheel: Find other upcoming standardized test dates and deadlines with our updated calendar.
Wednesday, August 31
Class of 2023 Summer Sweeps deadline
Today is the last day students in the Class of 2023 can enter our $5,000 Summer Sweeps contest. All they have to do is register on CollegeXpress and answer the question, “How can we help you during your senior year?” That’s it!
CollegeXpress Back to School Scholarship deadline
Starting August 1, students have a chance to win our $1,500 Back to School Scholarship if they register on CollegeXpress before Wednesday the 31st and let us know what they hope to learn during the upcoming school year.
Have your students joined the CollegeXpress community yet? Refer them here! You’ll be entered to win our $500 Refer-a-Friend contest, and after they create a free account through your unique link, they’ll have a chance to win not only our easy monthly scholarships but our annual $10,000 scholarship contest as well.
