Seniors, it's time to have a plan after high school. We want you to know you are not alone in this. We can't wait to see what you do in the future — live every version of yourself.
Until we meet again, some sunny day. This page is everything we wish someone had laid out for us before we walked across that stage — no fluff, just the stuff that actually matters.
Nobody hands you a manual for this part. One day you're stressing about a test, and the next everyone's asking "so what's the plan?" like you're supposed to have it all figured out. You don't — not yet. Here's the plan, broken into pieces you can actually act on.
You don't have to go far to go somewhere good. UT Knoxville, MTSU, UT Chattanooga, ETSU, Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay, plus a whole network of community colleges and TCATs — all within driving distance, all with in-state tuition that quietly saves you a fortune.
Kappa Cruz has brothers and sister chapters at UT, MTSU, and Tennessee Tech. That first semester away from home is easier when you already know people who have your back — mentors, study partners, a reason to get involved from day one. Recruitment runs the first couple weeks of fall.
This is the one that can make community or technical college close to free. It's not automatic — apply by November of senior year, show up to a couple of meetings, log some service hours. Miss the deadline and you miss the whole thing, so it goes on the calendar now.
Fill this out even if you think you won't qualify for aid — plenty of scholarships ask if it's on file, need-based or not. It opens every fall, and some money genuinely runs out, so don't be the person who files in March wondering where it all went.
Don't just chase the big national ones everyone else is applying to. HOPE, small community foundations, local businesses, your parents' employer, even Kappa Cruz's own alumni fund — those smaller, less-known scholarships have way less competition and they add up fast.
Whether it's the Common App, a school's own portal, or a trade program, don't let deadlines sneak up on you. Keep a simple list — what's due, what essay it needs, who's writing your letter. Ask early; three weeks' notice is respectful, one week's is a scramble.
College isn't the only way forward, and anyone who says otherwise hasn't checked what a good trade job pays. TCAT programs, apprenticeships, and direct-hire employers across Tennessee are hiring — a lot of them will train you. Starting to work and building from there is a real plan too.
File your FAFSA the day it opens. Get your TN Promise application in. Start on college applications and ask for recommendation letters now, not later.
Wrap up applications before priority deadlines pass. Set aside twenty minutes a week to search and apply — it adds up more than you'd think.
Lay your financial aid offers side by side and actually compare them. Confirm your TN Promise meetings and hours are done. Then decide and send your deposit.
Sign up for orientation. Look into when Greek recruitment starts. Sort out housing, transportation, and — if you're working — your first schedule.
File early — some aid is limited and goes to whoever applies first.
Miss this one and you're out for the year. Set a reminder now.
New ones show up all the time — check in with your counselor monthly.
The usual deadline to lock in your choice and send your deposit.
Most TN schools run formal recruitment the first couple weeks of fall.