College planning really starts in freshman year, so building a four-year roadmap for college is very important. For students, freshman year in high school is when grades and courses start to matter, in the sense that someone at a university will see them and might use them to make a decision about their admissions. For parents, it's when you've got to start helping your child make good decisions about how to use their time. It's also when saving money for college becomes critically important.