How to Prepare for Senior Year and the College Application Process
While it feels nice to take a break from school for a few months, the last year of high school is right around the corner for incoming seniors, and this long break is the best time to prepare. Although the deadlines for many college are not until November, December, and January, it is very important to get a head start in order to put your best foot forward into your future. Here are some ideas on how to make sure you’re prepared for your final stretch of school:
Tour all colleges you are interested in. This gives you the opportunity to experience the setting of any of your prospective schools and narrow down what factors draw you to a specific college, including size, location, and atmosphere. Depending on the competitiveness of a school you are interested in, it may be beneficial to book an interview with an admissions officer.
Do some research into the colleges you would like to apply to. Do you meet all of their admissions requirements? If not, how and when can you complete those requirements? Do they take the Common Application? Is there an honors program at the college that you are eligible to apply to as well? How does the college’s financial aid system work?
Begin working on your application essay. While some believe that the essay portion of the college application is unimportant, it can in fact be a deciding factor on your admission or denial. The 2017-2018 Common Application essay topics can be found at
Although a great deal of colleges accept applications through the Common App, some do not, so it is important to look into essay details for such colleges.
Review your SAT, SAT Subject Test, and/or ACT scores. If you are not content with your current scores, be sure to sign up for early fall testing sessions in order to receive scores in time for application deadlines. Early fall SAT dates include August 26th, October 7th, and November 4th. Be aware that SAT Subject Tests are not always available at every SAT testing date (see www.collegeboard.org for details). ACT dates include September 9th and October 28th.
If you are confident in your selection of colleges to apply to, decide whether you want to apply early decision, early action, or regular action (not all schools offer early decision and early action, and their application submission deadlines are generally a couple months earlier than regular decision deadlines). Early decision is binding, meaning that if you are accepted to a school in which you applied early decision, you are required to withdraw all other applications and submit a deposit to that school. Early action is non-binding, and allows you to hear back from the school before those who applied regular action, giving you more time to think about and ultimately make your final decision.
Research scholarships you are eligible to apply for. Even if you have doubts that you will be awarded a certain scholarship, as long as you are eligible, it does not hurt to apply- and who knows, you might receive it!
Finally, enjoy your last summer as a high school student- the year will surely fly by and before you know it, you will be a high school graduate on your way to a college or career!
