What should our family be doing over the winter?
Nick's answer is that December, January and February are the planning and strategy season that sets the tone for the rest of the admissions process. He gives a winter to-do list by grade: take stock and explore in 9th and 10th, settle a testing plan and next year's courses in 11th, and finish essays, financial aid forms and the January 1 and January 15 regular decision deadlines in 12th.
Recorded November 2025. Deadlines and policies change; check the current year's dates.
Read the full answer: College application dates and deadlines for fall 2027
Transcript
I'm Nick Standlea, CEO of Test Prep Gurus. Let's talk about one of the most underrated parts of the college admissions timeline, the winter months, December, January, and February. Why do I say underrated? Because these months can set the tone for the entire admissions process. Families often think winter is a time to take a break after fall exams or the holidays. But in reality, this is the planning and strategy season. Ninth and 10th graders, if you're a freshman or a sophomore, winter is the perfect time to take stock. How are your grades shaping up?
What activities are sparking your interest? What new opportunities might you try in the Remember, colleges love to see growth. Exploration in ninth and 10th grade is key. Winter is when you can reflect on the first half of the school year and adjust. Maybe it's setting a goal to participate more in class. Maybe it's choosing one activity to dive deeper into. Small adjustments now can pay huge dividends later. 11th graders, if you're a junior, winter is crunch time. This is when you start making the big decisions that will drive senior year and admissions outcomes.
Step one, testing strategy. By winter, you should be looking at your PSAT results. Then take a practice ACT. And at Test Prep Gurus, we offer free mock exams. You compare the two and decide which path to pursue. This doesn't necessarily mean starting prep immediately, but it does mean putting a plan in place. Which test, which dates, and when you're going to begin the prep process. Step two, course selection. Most schools ask students to choose next year's classes during the winter. Don't make these decisions casually. Plan all the way through senior year.
Map out your intended courses, making sure you're challenging yourself appropriately, but not overloading to the point of burnout. Step three, college exploration. Use the winter to start researching schools, making note of majors, campus culture, and financial considerations. Attend virtual info sessions or local college fairs if possible. This is the time to start shaping your list. For the 12th graders, if you're a senior, winter is the application finish line. By December, most early applications are in, but many regular decision deadlines are January 1st or January 15th. So this is the season of essays, deadlines, keeping transcript strong through that final semester, and then knocking out those winter finals.
After applications are submitted, seniors also need to complete financial aid forms like the FAFSA, the CSS profile, if they haven't already. Remember, all families should submit them regardless of income. Aid and scholarships often hinge on having those forms on file. Winter is also a time for seniors to prepare mentally and emotionally for decision season. Not every answer will be a yes. Families should have an open conversation about fit, finances, and backup options now, so that when results roll in, students feel prepared rather than blindsided by them. Here's the big picture.
Families who use the winter for planning reduce stress the rest of the year. Without strategy, spring and summer become a bit frantic. But with a plan in place, testing, courses, activities, financial aid, you walk into the next stage with confidence, and that's what we want to see. I've seen it play out both ways plenty of times. One student ignores the winter planning, they wait until the summer before senior year, and then they end up cramming and scrambling with the test prep, with the essays, with the applications all at once. It's miserable.
You can be a different type of student that uses that winter of junior year to map everything out, know your test timeline, have a balanced course load, get a jump on shortlisting certain colleges, and then by senior year, you're already ahead of the game and stress-free. So parents, don't let winter slip by. Use it as your family's strategy season. The work you do now will make the rest of the journey smoother, saner, and far more successful. I'm Nick Standlea, the CEO of Test Prep Gurus. Winter is when plans are built, and strong plans lead to strong outcomes.
More explainers for parents: https://www.prepgurus.com/13secrets (the free 13 Secrets to College Admission guide) and https://highschoolreach.com (look up any high school's college outcomes)