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This is your launching pad for getting into college, winning scholarships, and figuring out the golf recruiting side. Bookmark this page.
You are 17 months away from graduation and roughly 5 months away from the single biggest deadline of your high school career. Let's make this run.
A note: this page is a starting point, not the whole map. It's curated to get you moving. Use it alongside your school counselor, mentors, and your own research. Things change. Stay curious.
From right now to your first day of college. Every milestone is here. Don't skip ahead, but don't lose track either.
The 2026-2027 application cycle officially begins. All your drafted essay work carries over.
First real deadline of your senior year. UT Austin is the high-stakes one: you must select Early Action on the app, and official SAT/ACT scores plus remaining materials are due Oct 22.
Six schools due same day: UVA, Virginia Tech, University of Florida, JMU, George Mason, Stetson ED. Plan everything backward from this date.
Backup if you miss Early Action. Remaining materials (scores, transcript) due Dec 10. Decisions by Feb 15, 2027.
UVA ED by Dec 15. UT Austin EA by Jan 15 (admit or deferral). Most other EA by mid-February. File FAFSA in October for financial aid.
UVA RD (Jan 5). VT, UF, VCU, JMU, CU Boulder RD (Jan 15).
UT Austin by Feb 15. Compare admits, financial aid offers, scholarship awards.
Commit to one school. Submit enrollment deposit.
Welcome to year one.
Check items off as you complete them. Your progress saves automatically on this device.
It's optional at most of your schools — but UT Austin requires official SAT or ACT scores. A strong score also unlocks scholarships and tips other reach schools in your favor.
| Test Date | Register By | Late Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2026 | Aug 7, 2026 | Aug 11, 2026 |
| Sept 12, 2026 | Aug 28, 2026 | Sept 1, 2026 |
Visit collegeboard.org for the full schedule including spring/summer 2026 dates. Aug or Sept 2026 are your last chances before the Oct 15 UT Austin Early Action deadline (and Nov 1 for the rest of the list). Send official scores to UT Austin using SAT code 6882 or ACT code 4240.
30-60 minutes of Khan Academy SAT prep, 4 days a week, beats a single weekend cram. Consistency wins this game.
Every school on your list accepts the Common App. That means one form, one essay, one set of recommenders, ten applications.
Create your account →Personal info, family info, demographics, school details, GPA, classes, and honors. This is the data dump. Knock it out in one sitting.
List up to 10 activities ranked by importance. Golf goes here, prominently. Also include leadership roles, jobs, volunteer work, hobbies that matter.
Tip: Quality > quantity. 5 well-described activities beat 10 vague ones. Use action verbs and specific numbers (hours, wins, dollars raised, people impacted).
The single most important part of your application. You pick one of 7 prompts. This one essay goes to every school you apply to via Common App.
The 7 prompts cover:
The truth: The essay isn't about the topic. It's about who YOU are. Admissions officers already see your grades and scores. The essay is the only place they hear your voice.
You'll invite 2 teachers + 1 counselor through the Common App platform. They submit recommendations directly. Ask before school ends in June 2026 so they have summer to write.
Most schools have additional short essays. UVA has a few short answers. Virginia Tech has 4 required personal statements, so plan extra time. UT Austin uses your Common App essay plus two required short answers (~250–300 words each): why your first-choice major, and the activity you're most proud of.
$30-$85 per school. Fee waivers available based on FAFSA. Submit by the deadline for each school. After submitting, you'll get an applicant portal email within 24-48 hours from each school.
Most take the Common App — one essay, many doors. UT Austin also needs two short answers and official SAT/ACT scores. Each school is worth exploring on your own.
The path of interest here is their one-year gap program — not the full three-year seminary. Residential sacred learning in Macungie, Pennsylvania, rooted in knowledge, devotion, and service.
A gap year of foundations — then college. Not a three-year commitment.
Al-Maqasid is developing a dedicated gap program. The detailed curriculum, fees, and schedule published on their site today describe the three-year full-time seminary. Below, we pull the useful pieces from that public material — especially Year One — as the closest picture of what a foundational year looks like, and we label every sourced detail clearly.
NCAA note: with a Feb 24, 2009 birthday, one gap year costs zero eligibility under the new D1/D2 age-based clock. Two gap years costs a season. See the full eligibility map →
Year One of Al-Maqasid’s published seminary establishes the foundations. That first-year outline is the best public window into the kind of immersive year a gap program would emphasize.
Arabic reading proficiency, basic speaking and listening skills, and the study habits serious learning requires. By year’s end, a student can recite the Quran, read voweled Arabic texts, and demonstrate foundational Islamic literacy.
Explain the individual obligations (farḍ ʿayn) of the religion — the knowledge every Muslim is responsible to know and practice.
Every year is organized around knowledge, devotion, and service (al-Maqāṣid al-Thalātha) — shaping how students learn, worship, and engage with the world.
Catalog covers the full three-year seminary. Use Year 1 terms as the gap-year reference point.
Sample of what Year One students study across two terms (from Al-Maqasid’s public course catalog):
Al-Maqasid’s published full-time program runs three years. Years 2–3 deepen classical study and community service training. This is not the track we’re pursuing for Haleem — included only so the published site makes sense when you visit it.
Arabic grammar deepens; texts without vowels. Fiqh through primary texts (Shāfiʿī or Ḥanafī). Tajwīd. First service: teaching Imān, Islām, Iḥsān and delivering a Friday khuṭba.
Classical Arabic across the Islamic sciences. Advanced tafsīr, sīra, ʿaqīda, hadith. Hands-on community service training.
Length, start date, fees, lodging, and whether Year 1 of the seminary (or a tailored track) is how the gap year will run. Details are not fully published yet — email or call.
Application windows above are from the published three-year seminary page — confirm gap-program dates with Al-Maqasid.
Source note: Curriculum outlines, fees, eligibility, and schedule above are drawn from Al-Maqasid’s public three-year seminary pages. The one-year gap program is what we’re interested in for Haleem; treat seminary figures as reference material until Al-Maqasid publishes gap-specific details.
Ask Al-Maqasid about the gap program — how it differs from Year 1 of the seminary, when it starts, and what it costs.
Their published ideal student: dedicated to knowledge, devotion, and service; disciplined with a demanding schedule; serious about sacred knowledge and the spiritual path.
Print this. Tape it to your wall. Set reminders for two weeks before each.
Over $100 million in scholarship funds go unawarded every year. Spend an hour a week on this and you'll graduate with less debt.
Opens October 1, 2026. File it even if you think you won't qualify. It unlocks federal aid AND is required for most merit scholarships.
studentaid.gov →Create a profile on 2-3 of these. They'll match you to thousands of opportunities.
Low odds, but 5 minutes to enter. Apply once a month minimum. Total monthly time: 30 min. Potential: thousands.
Smaller pools = better odds. Your in-state residency matters.
If college golf is on the table, this section is non-negotiable. The recruiting timeline runs ahead of regular admissions.
If you want to play D1 or D2 golf, this is required before a coach can officially recruit you. Do it before junior year ends. Costs ~$100. Fee waivers available if FAFSA-eligible.
Haleem’s NCAA ID: 2607102241 — log in this week. The NCAA is loading age-based rule info into student accounts.
eligibilitycenter.org →The old “four seasons in five years” model is gone. Athletes now get one continuous five-year window and can compete in all five years. Because Haleem graduates spring 2027 and enrolls fall 2027 or later, these rules apply fully — no grandfathering.
The five-year window starts at whichever comes first:
Once it starts, it never pauses. Injuries, transfers, and sit-out years all count. Medical hardship and redshirt waivers no longer exist. Exceptions: military service, official religious missions, and pregnancy.
Turns 19 before Sept 1, 2028 → age trigger fires fall 2028. That is why one gap year is “free” and two are not.
Later enrollment permanently costs a playable season.
| At a glance | A · Fall 2027 | B · Fall 2028 | C · Fall 2029 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum playable seasons | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Seasons after one lost year | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Log into the Eligibility Center this week (NCAA ID 2607102241). In coach conversations, ask how they are planning rosters under the five-year model.
Any gap-year discussion (including Al-Maqasid) happens with these three scenarios in front of us.
Full-ride golf scholarships are extremely rare. Most successful college golfers get a partial athletic scholarship stacked with academic merit aid. Strong grades + test scores = more total money.
Virginia State Golf Association scholarship for VA high school seniors with an interest in golf. Ability not required, but participation in VSGA Junior Circuit helps. Awards require attending a Virginia college (UVA, VT, JMU, GMU, VCU all qualify).
Helps families afford to compete in AJGA tournaments ($300-600 each). Covers entry fees and travel. To date: 1,784 junior golfers awarded, $14.8M in college scholarships earned by ACE Grant graduates.
ajga.org →Need + merit-based scholarships up to $5,000 per year for First Tee alumni. If you haven't participated yet, look up First Tee – Greater Washington DC.
firstteedc.org →Based on what successful Virginia recruits play. Multi-day events count for national rankings.
What every coach you email needs to receive. Keep it tight, professional, and personalized to their program.
Every URL referenced on this page, sorted by category. Bookmark what you need.
"Haleem, you've got everything you need to make this happen. The work is laid out. The dates are clear. All that's left is the showing up. Day by day."
Built with love for you.
— Dad