Counselor Edition: Rising Seniors, 7 College Applications Things To Do This Summer
It Will Make Your Fall Semester a Little Easier
Summer is here! Millions of Rising Seniors probably have plans.
Now, you may want to add this your plans:
Summer is a great time to get started on that college application!
As Shveta Bagade says on the our Podcast, “I don't care how busy you are over the summer, it is the most free time you will get”.
Based on Shveta’s review and discussion of this article, we have distilled the list down to 7 College Application Things for Rising Seniors to do during the summer:
Lock Down Teacher(s) for LORs
Narrow College List
Visit College Campuses
Start Working on College Essays
Research Scholarships and Financial Aid
Create a Check List with a Calendar
Start Filling out the Common App
(I am assuming that the Rising Senior has already taken Standardized Tests.)
Now, let’s discuss these one by one.
1.Lock Down Teacher(s) for LORs
If your high school doesn't have a policy about this and school hasn't ended yet, at least ask one letter of recommendation from a teacher you think will give you a great one.
Lock it in because you and your high school peers know which teachers are popular and write great letters of recommendation, and they probably get a lot of requests.
If they agree, then thank them for doing this and let them know you’ll follow up with them in August with college names.
And if the teacher says, No, then that's okay. Ask the next one.
2.Narrow College List
You have probably been looking at colleges through your Junior year and researching them. Now it is time to narrow that list to manageable number.
So start working on that list.
Your school or counselor may tell you what to look for in a college,
Schools are a great fit for you,
Schools you have a strong chance of getting in,
And finally figuring out how many schools to apply to. If you do the college research, visit campuses, you should be able to keep the number under 10.
In conjunction with that, you should start thinking about college(s) you want to apply early to. Early Decision application deadlines are usually in October.
While researching colleges, if you have a question you can't find an answer to on the website, please email them.
Admission reps love hearing from students,
They want to engage you,
They want to get you excited about their college.
So reach out to them, they tend to respond within 24 hours unless they're like on vacation.
3.Visit College Campuses
Summer is not a great time to visit a College because they are quieter and most students are off campus. But,
Lot of colleges do have tours. So go ahead and take advantage of it;
You can the feel of that college, try to envision yourself there;
It’s your opportunity to visit & ask questions;
Virtual tours are there as well, if you can’t travel.
If you are seriously looking at Early Decision, you should find a way to visit the the school, because you want to make sure you like the campus, you like the location, you like the vibe of it.
4.Start Working on College Essays
Once you have started narrowing the college list,
Start reading the essay prompts for applications to these schools,
Develop essay ideas;
Start writing them, start your drafts.
Try to make a lot of progress, especially the Common App long essay. They way, when your senior year starts, you would already be done with a big chunk of your essays!
5.Research Scholarships and Financial Aid
Do your research:
The schools provide merit scholarships, and or Need-based scholarships,
Look for scholarships you can apply to. If your parents work at a corporation, there may be scholarships for employees’ children.
Balance the amount of time you research with the amount of money, e.g., don't, spend 12 hours on a $500 scholarship.
Understand the financial aid requirements, understand the process. FAFSA is changing and will be available only in December 2023. So it's really great for students and families to be on top of that.
And students, this is where your parents have to be involved!
6.Create a Checklist with a Calendar
This is a list of all the tasks you need to do before each college application is complete. Keep this list current and use it to follow up and update your calendar.
There are lots of different deadlines:
College deadlines,
College Board deadlines, if you want to send scores,
Your high school will have deadlines for letters of recommendation, transcript requests.
So be super organized.
7.Start Filling out the Common App
Most applications, including the Common App are available August 1.
Most high schools don't start till August or September,
Open up your account, use your personal email, and
Start filling out all the your information.
Your parents information - security number, etc.
It may be tedious and even boring, but it needs to be done! And done right.
Again, Summer is a great time to get ready, so you can cruise through the Fall!
Rising Seniors: What Next?
Before we close, here is my suggestion on the order in which to approach these 7 Things:
All the Best!
Finally, Thank You to All for your support with the Podcast and this Newsletter, and to all My Guests who have been generous with their time and counsel on my podcasts.
Have a Wonderful June!
Venkat