Top-Notch Educational Advisory Services Roadmap
A structured, milestone-driven journey from 9th grade
through college acceptance.
Your Journey
From First Meeting to Final Decision
The Top-Notch Educational Advisory Services Roadmap outlines every consultation, milestone, and deliverable across your student's high school journey — giving families a clear, confident path from 9th grade all the way to college acceptance.
20+
Consultations
4
High School Years
Free
Initial Consultation
Getting Started
Initial Consultation with Family / Student
Foundation Year
9th Grade
Start of 9th Grade
- Review and finalize 9th grade curriculum
- Discuss student extracurricular plan
- Explore how to maximize interests and capabilities
- Discuss goals; lay out HS curriculum and extracurricular framework
Year-End / Start of Summer
Includes Test Prep Instructor
- Review 9th grade transcript
- Develop curriculum guidelines for 10th and 11th grade
- Reevaluate student's interests and capabilities and how to maximize
- Review student extracurricular options inside and outside of school
- PSAT Skill gap assessment, guidance and setting goals
- Students are evaluated by Prep Test 1
- Identify the focus areas for the summer prior to 10th grade
Profile Building
10th Grade
Start of 10th Grade
Includes Test Prep Instructor
- Finalize the curriculum for 10th grade
- Develop curriculum guidelines for 11th and 12th grade
- Review extracurricular options in/outside of school
- Initiate student brand development
- Review the PSAT Skill gap assessment and guidance
- Students are evaluated by Test 2
- Initiate a plan for PSAT
- Schedule year-end meeting to review summer plans
- Develop and provide the preliminary plan
Year-End / Start of Summer
- Review 10th grade transcript
- Review of curriculum guidelines for 11th and 12th grade
- Review of the progress of the preliminary plan
- Discuss summer plans
- Initiate the college major discussion and give research resources
- Initiate summer activities geared towards building a strong profile
- Review Plan for PSAT
Strategy Pivot
11th Grade
Start of 11th Grade
Includes Test Prep Instructor
- Finalize the curriculum for 11th grade
- Develop curriculum guidelines for 12th grade
- Review student brand development
- Review extracurricular options in/outside of school
- Review the PSAT Skill gap assessment and guidance
- Students are evaluated by Test 3
- Review PSAT
- Review and update the plan — Top-Notch EAS V.1
PSAT Scores Review
Includes Test Prep Instructor
- Review PSA Scan & Initiate a plan for SATs
- Initiate a plan for SAT
Midyear Review
Includes Test Prep Instructor
- Review majors researched; next steps include job shadows/job interviews
- Discuss 12th grade courses, as well as admission streams available
- Review SAT/ACT Plan
- Evaluate the progress in the foundational gaps for SAT/ACT
- Plan for first SAT/ACT attempt
Year-End / Start of Summer
Includes Test Prep Instructor
- Review 11th grade transcript
- Review SAT scores if taken in March
- Review of the Profile
- Review of summer activities geared towards finalizing personal brand
- Review of the progress of the plan
- Finalize the SAT/ACT Plan if needed
- Discuss college visits: types of colleges and what to look for/record on each visit
- Revise college major, if needed
- Begin college resume
- Initiate teacher recommendations request
Summer Before Senior Year
Summer Consultations
Summer Strategy & Essay Kickoff
- Update the college resume
- Finalize and send out necessary information to letters of recommendation writers
- Sign up and review the Common App
- Begin the Common App essay brainstorm
Execution Year
12th Grade — Senior Year
Start of 12th Grade
- Finalize the curriculum for 12th grade
- Update the college resume
- Review extracurricular options in/outside of school
- Review SAT/ACT Scores or Test prep
September — Application Launch
- Request for a copy of the school transcript
- Review/Revise the college major
- Initiate college selection
- Plan for supplemental applications/essays/tracking plans
- Identify major themes of essays and initiate draft ideas
- Identify minor themes of essay and initiate draft ideas
- Create College applications tracking spreadsheet
- Submission deadlines — Tracking progress
- Tracking the recommendations
- Tracking the transcripts
- Tracking SAT/ACT scores
- Tracking of miscellaneous items
- Set up frequency of tracking progress
- Research CSS Profile and FAFSA Deadlines
- Review of FAFSA submission requirements
October — Early Action & Decision
- Finalize the college major
- Finalize College selection
- Update College applications tracking spreadsheet
- Finalize the Common App essay
- Finalize supplemental essays, as needed to meet Early Action/Decision deadlines
- College Tracking — Submission deadlines
- Submission status — Tracking progress
- Tracking the recommendations
- Tracking the transcripts
- Tracking SAT/ACT scores
- Tracking of miscellaneous items
- Final review of early action/decision applications
- Instructing how to submit applications
November – December – January
- Review completion of college applications
- Review completion of honors college/special programs/scholarship applications
- Develop a plan for potential interviews
- Identify potential interviews
- Begin interview preparation
- Continue College Tracking, as needed
Final Step
Final Consultation — February / March
Senior Year — February / March
- Evaluate the college acceptance choices
- Schedule visits and interviews, if applicable
- Suggestions to follow up/negotiate financial aid/scholarships with selected colleges
- Finalize the college/program
Celebrate success!!
Academic Excellence
PSAT / SAT / ACT Preparation Services
A structured, multi-year testing strategy designed to close skill gaps and maximize scores — starting in 9th grade.
- Students are evaluated by Test 1
- Identify the focus areas to work on and improve during the summer prior to 10th grade
- Students are evaluated by Test 2
- Initiate a plan for PSAT
- Skills gaps improvement plan
- Students are evaluated by Test 3
- Review the PSAT Skill gap assessment and guidance
- Review PSAT — gaps and strategies to improve the score
- Focus areas to work on and weekly test practice — 4 weeks
- Review PSAT scores
- Initiate the SAT/ACT Plan
- Identify strategies to bridge the foundational gaps for SAT/ACT
- Develop SAT/ACT preparation plan
- Establish the schedule for SAT/ACT Preparation
- Monitor the progress on SAT/ACT foundational gaps
- Plan the first attempt
- Review SAT scores if taken in March
- Review the final progress and schedule for the test dates
- English SAT Prep
- Mathematics SAT Prep