I’ve got a confession: I am probably the most disorganized organized person you will ever meet. Many days, I feel like the skies will open and every ball I’m juggling will rain down on me. Every day, I rely on a planner to keep me sane.

Over the years, I’ve tried many different organization tools, but when I find something that works I stick with it. If you know about my penchant for planners, you can probably guess I would covet a tool that helps organize the insanity of our homeschooling life. Standing on the cusp of A’s senior year, I’m feeling the crunch to prepare her for the next step and, truthfully, I was feeling panicked until I found the KapMap College Planner.

Preparing a child for college requires careful planning and hard work, by both the parent and the student. Having graduated one daughter 3 years ago, I was already familiar with Kaplan’s test prep site and various study tools. We relied on them heavily as C rounded the bend to graduation. The KapMap College Planner, however, was new to me.

Initially, I (wrongly) assumed the planner was solely intended for high school seniors, so when I first opened the free download I was a bit overwhelmed. My eyes not yet focused on the details, I scrolled up and down pages as my heart sank. Convinced I had already derailed my high school senior’s plans for college, I knew I needed a closer look and clicked print. Instantly, 4 pages of text and a cover page shot out from the printer, taking aim at every insecurity within my disorganized-organized heart. I gathered my resolve and breathed a sigh of relief when I realized I was literally looking at a 4-year road map. (I also secretly mourned not having this earlier.)

It’s never too late to make a plan!

The KapMap walks you through every year, ensuring both parents and students stay on track for college admissions. With its easy to follow monthly action items, Kaplan Test Prep takes the guess-work out of the planning process. From recommendations on timing the PSAT, SAT  and/or ACT to suggestions about club involvement and summer planning, the KapMap sets the stage to best position your student for the competitive admissions environments.

A challenge often unique to homeschoolers is the limited access to high school/college planning guidance services. Additionally, with the many changes that have taken place in the admissions process over the last 30 years, my high school and college experiences have offered lots of humor but little practical value in preparing my girls for theirs.  Making my way through each class-level calendar I, once again, wished I had had this resource sooner. I circled tips and highlighted hyperlinks to help us prepare for A’s next step. Especially helpful to us are the pointers for narrowing down her college choices such as “Research social forums where alumni and students post about your college” and “Make a College Fact Chart” for comparison purposes. And, without coming from Mom or Dad’s mouth, the KapMap offers relevant and timely information about the role of social media in the application process (Did you know, “Facebook profiles are reviewed by 31% of admissions officers”?), key admissions factors, and the importance of extracurricular activities.

Whether your child is just starting high school or rounding their way to graduation, there is much to value in this tool. I’ve printed a copy for my daughter, keep a copy at the front of my lesson book, and have it downloaded on my computer. From the action items to the hyperlinks, the KapMap will keep us on the right track as we #JourneyToCollege !

For additional information, please visit: http://www.kaptest.com/college-prep/

Also, be sure to follow Kaplan Test Prep on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaplanSAT and on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KaplanSATACT

Plan for success with this special offer for my readers from Kaplan:  Save $100 when you enroll in a SAT or ACT course from 8/11-8/28.* Use code: SHESPEAKS100

Are you new to the college planning road or have you already taken your last exit? Please, share your best tips!

 Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Kaplan Test Prep. I received compensation to write this post, and any opinions expressed are my own, and reflect my actual experience.