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College Planning Calendar: January 2024

Stay on top of the college planning process with our monthly College Planning Calendar for counselors, students, and parents. Happy January planning!

Can you believe it’s already 2024? We sure can’t! But while we’re ringing in a new year, students are heading back to school for the second half of their academic year. Seniors are waiting on admission decisions. Juniors may be gearing up for the SAT or ACT. A lot is going on for students at the beginning of a new calendar year. Ensure they’re prepared for it all with this month’s edition of our College Planning Calendar!

General monthly planning

Month-long observances and celebrations

  • National Blood Donor Month: Donating blood saves lives! And students can save lives, volunteer, and win money for college all at once through the American Red Cross. Check out the Leaders Save Lives Scholarship Program to find out how to get involved.
  • National Braille Literacy Month: Braille literacy for the blind is just as important to uplift and support as visual literacy. This month honors Louis Braille, the creator of the tactile writing and reading system.
  • International Creativity Month: Students should celebrate their creativity this month and the benefits it can bring by showcasing it on their college applications. If you know students who want to take their creative talents all the way to their career, be sure to share our article on 6 Career Paths for People Who Want to Use Their Creativity.
  • National Mentoring Month: Mentors are extremely important for students’ personal and academic growth. Get your soon-to-be college students ready to seek support in their higher education journey with this advice on How Students Can Find Supportive Mentors in College.
  • National Hobby Month: Both students and counselors should make time to reinvest in their hobbies this month. (It’s especially worth it since certain hobbies could result in scholarship money!)

Monday, January 1

New Year’s Day

Happy New Year! Here’s to a fantastic 2024!

College application deadline

Today is a common Regular Decision application deadline for colleges around the country. Make sure your seniors have submitted their necessary applications by today!

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@britishbakeoff via GIPHY

SAT prep start date

It’s recommended that students planning to take the SAT on May 4 start studying for the test this month to be properly prepared in time.

Free personal statement webinar

If your students are looking for admission essay help, Moon Prep’s 8-Day Crash Course: Learn How to Write an Effective Personal Statement webinar will be available to access starting December 1 with daily modules to complete at their own pace.

Thursday, January 4

Braille Literacy Week

Although it’s observed the whole month, Braille Literacy Week also begins on January 4 in honor of Louis Braille’s birthday.

Friday, January 5

Regular ACT registration deadline

Today is the regular registration deadline for the February 10 ACT test date.

Saturday, January 6

Free SAT online trial class

Kaplan is offering free monthly prep classes once again, but now they’re specifically geared toward helping students prepare for the new digital SAT format. The first Digital SAT Live Online Trial Class will take place on Saturday the 6th from 9:00–11:00 am ET.

Free ACT prep course

Kaplan is also offering free monthly prep classes for the ACT, with an ACT Live Online Trial Class taking place on Saturday the 6th from 1:00–3:00 pm ET.

Monday, January 8

Scholarship search crash course

Moon Prep isn’t just helping students with the college search and applications this month—they’re also sharing their knowledge on scholarships with their free 9-Day Crash Course: The Search for Scholarships webinar. Students can register now for this pre-recorded series that begins Monday the 8th from 7:00–8:00 pm ET.

Gif of man in black suit and glasses throwing cash
@andykassier via GIPHY

ACT live online trial class

If students miss the first session, they can sign up for another ACT Live Online Trial Class taking place on Monday the 8th from 7:00–9:00 pm ET.

Sunday, January 14

Free SAT/ACT score webinar for parents and students

Prep Expert’s Dr. Shaan Patel is offering a free SAT/ACT webinar on 10 secrets to raising standardized test scores and winning big scholarships to top colleges. Parents can sign up now for this session that starts at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday the 14th.

Monday, January 15

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Happy MLK Day! Take this day to celebrate and learn more about this truly remarkable man and everything he did for the Civil Rights Movement.

College application deadline

Today is another common Regular Decision application deadline in January. Even if a student’s schools of interest have rolling admission, spots fill up fast and they should try to hit this deadline!

Tuesday, January 16

Free SAT live online trial class

The next Digital SAT Live Online Trial Class from Kaplan will be held today from 5:30–7:30 pm ET.

Free ACT prep course

There are so many trial classes for students to take advantage of this month! The next ACT Live Online Trial Class is also on Tuesday the 16th from 8:00–10:00 pm ET.

Friday, January 19

Late ACT registration deadline

Today is the late registration deadline for the February 10 ACT test date (late fees apply).

Gif of hand filling in UCA admission exam bubbles
@ucabears via GIPHY

Monday, January 22

College application webinar

Students who need more in-depth guidance on college apps can sign up for Moon Prep’s Crash Course: A Step-by-Step Guide for Applying to College taking place on Monday the 22nd from 7:00–8:00 pm ET.

Free SAT online trial class

It’s the last chance this month to get some inside advice on the new SAT with Kaplan’s Digital SAT Live Online Trial Class. This session will take place from 8:00–10:00 pm ET.  

Free ACT prep course

This is also the last opportunity for students to take an ACT Live Online Trial Class before the next test date in February. It goes from 7:30–9:30 pm ET.

Thursday, January 25

High school to college webinar

Kaplan is offering some additional free webinars to students this month, including one on Navigating High School-Aligning Coursework and College Goals to help students chart their academic paths. They can sign up for this new opportunity taking place on Thursday the 25th from 7:30–8:30 pm ET.

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@nickrewind via GIPHY

Tuesday, January 30

Supplemental essays webinar

This last free recorded webinar for the month from Moon Prep walks students through a Crash Course on How to Write Supplemental Essays for college admission. It will be available starting January 30 from 7:00–8:00 pm ET.

Admission tests webinar

Kaplan’s last webinar this month aims to help students prep for all kinds of admission tests. Students can sign up for All About College Admissions Tests—SATs, ACTS, and More on January 30 from 7:30–8:30 pm ET.

Wednesday, January 31

CollegeXpress Fresh Start to 2024 Scholarship deadline

We’re giving away $2,024 (see what we did there?) this month to kick off the new year! Students can enter our Fresh Start to 2024 Scholarship from January 1–31 by registering on (or logging back into) CollegeXpress and answering this question: How do you plan to make 2024 a great year?

Gif of weird orange bird chomping on words old and new back and forth
@evellade via GIPHY

Did you know you can feature our top resources on your website? Head over to our Free College Widgets page to learn how. Winter is also a great time for students to apply for scholarship awards, and they can use our Scholarship Search tool to get started!

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