A Summer Checklist to Get You Into College
You’re a college senior. Believe it or not, at this time next year, you’ll most likely be preparing to attend the college of your dreams. Now the question is, how are you going to get into your dream school? What should you be doing to prepare yourself for those all-too-fast approaching college application deadlines?
It’s not too early to start preparing. Actually, many students start getting ready when they hit their junior year – but don’t worry, you’ve still got plenty of time. So let me throw out some pointers to get you started.
1) Prepare for the SAT or the ACT
Most students now have the option of taking either the SAT or the ACT. Based upon your unique profile, you may be better off taking one test over the other. Don’t settle for taking whichever test your peers take. Your choice of test can make a difference in your college admissions outcomes. While you still have some summer left, work on test prep. Visit our SAT and ACT Test Preparation pages for more information.
2) Narrow your college choices
Think about what type of college or university would make you the happiest – a big urban campus, or a small outdoorsy one? A large, well-endowed school with state-of-the-art labs and classrooms, or a school that might have more a modest infrastructure but more interaction between faculty and students? Check out the myUsearch college matching process to find out which colleges and universities match your needs. (shameless plug, I know)
3) Consider visiting a few college campuses
If you visit college campuses before you go back to school, do some research ahead of time to identify issues you might have specific questions about. Try to see dining halls, dorm rooms, and recreational facilities in addition to the classrooms and public areas you’ll be shown on a standard tour. Try asking the tour guide how typical the facilities you’re seeing are of the entire campus. Remember, everyone likes to show their best face to visitors. You may be seeing the only residence hall that’s been renovated in the past 5 years.
4) Determine your course schedule
Are you planning on taking any AP courses this fall? If so, make sure you understand what coursework you will be expected to complete over the summer. Don’t overload your schedule. The time you’ll have to devote to AP work means less time for other things that matter to you. Remember that AP classes are not the only (and sometimes not even the best) way to position yourself for your college applications.
Start thinking in general terms about which classes you want to take over the coming year. Remember that admissions committees look for applicants who stretched themselves in high school.
5) Enjoy extracurricular activities
Use this summer to enjoy the extracurricular activities that appeal to your interests – but don’t overdo it. Admissions committees can sniff out applicants who only became involved in the community in order to enhance their college candidacies.
6) Get organized
Start keeping a set of folders with the information you need for your applications. This includes activity lists as well as notes about extracurricular activities, paid employment and volunteer service, and summer study. It’s also a good place to keep a list of which schools you applied to and when, with reminders about what you still need to do to complete your applications.
7) Think about your essays
Start making notes for your application essays. Look at the questions and topics that your target schools used in their Fall 2008 applications to get an idea of what you might be asked to write about this year. Think about how your various ‘wow’ factors could be worked into essays on similar topics.
Set yourself up for letters of recommendation
Keep in mind about which teachers, coaches, or supervisors you will want to ask for recommendation letters from this fall. Think about which points you will need them to address to support the rest of your application. If your GPA or test scores are weak, you might want to approach a teacher who can attest to the quality of your academic work. If you don’t have many extracurriculars, you may want a letter from someone who can attest to your interpersonal skills and your non-academic interests.
There’s still a lot more you can be doing to prepare for the exciting, stressful, terrifying and exhilarating process called the college application. Check out our timeline for a more in-depth “checklist” of things you should be thinking about. And if you have any questions or need some help getting ready, call our offices at 703.242.5885 or drop us an email. We’d love to hear from you!
Thanks for visiting. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed.
