Ten Things Rising High School Seniors Should Do this Summer to Prepare for the College
Admissions Process
1. Visit College Campuses
If you have yet to visit even one college or university, start now. Rising seniors and their parents will
often say, "This college list is too long! What can we do to narrow the list down?" The best way to
narrow that list is to plan a road trip and begin visiting as many campuses you can in the waning weeks
of the summer and early fall. Soon after you set foot on campus you are likely to say something like,
"Wow, I love this place, how do I apply" or "When are we done here? I am ready to look at a different
kind of college." Don't be turned off too quickly if the atmosphere on campus in the summer is not what
you expected. College campuses can be very quiet in the summer months compared to the excitement
you might find in the spring, fall, or even winter. Other campuses, where undergraduates rule during
the regular school year, may be populated by graduate students (older students pursuing masters and
doctorate degrees) and/or secondary school students attending short-term sports camps or pre-college
academic programs during the summer months. Try to picture it as it might look when the undergrads
come back in September.
2. Conduct Online Research on Colleges and Universities of Interest
If you were too busy to research college opportunities in your junior year, you need to find time to do it
soon. What better time that in the remaining weeks of the summer before your senior year? There are
many websites where you can find valuable information about colleges and where you can search for
colleges that might be just right for you. Start with College Board at collegeboard.org and try out their
"Big Futures" page. It offers a college search engine where you can enter the characteristics of your
dream college and generate a list of colleges and universities that can meet your needs and help you
achieve your aspirations.
3. Prepare a College Application Résumé
If you have not already done so, prepare a college application résumé. College admissions officers do
not require résumés but most do read them. You may be thinking, "Why do I need to create a résumé
when my school already lists my activities on my transcript?" That's just it, you school will "list" them,
but they probably will not elaborate on them. Designing a great résumé and sharing it with college
admissions officers is a way of putting your best foot forward and telling the full story of how you have
made a difference in your school and community. It you are an athlete, you can include statistics about
your performance such as your batting average, shooting percentage, or yards gained. If you excel in
the arts, you can list the parts you have played in musicals or the awards you have won for painting or
sculpture. You want college people to see you as a real person, not just a GPA and a set of test scores.
A great résumé will do all that and more. It will make it so much easier for you when filling out college
and scholarship applications. When everyone else is trying to remember all of their awards, activities,
part-time jobs, and summer experiences, yours will be right at your fingertips. Besides, when you apply
for your first campus job, internship, or co-op experience in college, you will probably need a résumé.
Won't you look smart when all you have to do is open up that résumé you did in high school and just
update it a bit for this new opportunity? Finally, creating that résumé may also remind you of your
special passions which may be useful in writing those college application essays.
4. Talk with three to five older students (friends, relatives, or former school mates) who are just
finishing their freshman year in college.
There is nothing like benefitting from the experiences of others. Students who have just completed
their freshman year in college have so much valuable information to share with the students who will
soon follow in their footsteps. Give a few of them a call or send them a text. Tell them where you are in
your college planning process and ask them if they would be willing to share their experiences with you.
Most of them will be delighted to be asked.
5. Register for Additional Admissions Tests
Hopefully, you have already sat for the SAT at least once in your junior year. Unless you scored the
highest possible score of 800 (or close to it) on each section of your junior year SAT, you should take it
again in the fall of your senior year. The best time to take it is in October, the first time the SAT is given
in your senior year. The registration deadline will be early in September, so it will be best for you to
register in August. Remember, the earlier you register for any admissions test the more likely you will
be assigned to your first choice test center. If the October SAT test date is not possible for you, you
should take it no later than the first Saturday in November. For more information or to register for the
SAT or SAT Subject Tests, go to www.collegeboard.org.
An alternative to the SAT is a test called the ACT. Virtually all colleges and universities will accept either
one. Some students feel that the ACT is more like the tests they take in school. If you are a student who
does well in your academic classes but you have been disappointed with your SAT or PSAT scores in the
past, the ACT might be the right test for you. If you excel in science, you may really like the ACT as,
unlike the SAT, it has a separate section or subtest just for science. Just one tip...if you take the ACT, be
sure to take the optional Essay section as well. It may be advertised as "optional," but nearly all colleges
will require you to take it. Learn more and register at www.act.org.
Finally, if you need to make significant improvements in your SAT or ACT scores, consider doing some
test preparation in the remaining days of the summer and the weeks leading up to your first admissions
test as a senior. Test prep is something you can do on your own using one of the many test prep books
or online resources available. You can also seek tutorial assistance from a test preparation service which
will typically offer both group and individual formats.
6. Write A First Draft of Your Common Application Essay
If there is any advice that returning college freshmen offer to their former schoolmates, it is to
"get started on your college essays early!" Because it is very likely that you will apply to one or more
colleges which are on the Common Application, it is a good place to start. Visit CommonApp.org to look
at the five essay topics they offer. Choose one of them that would work the best for you and begin
writing. Once you have a good, solid first draft, share it with your high school counselor and one of your
English teachers and ask them to read it and offer suggestions. Don't be offended if they offer lots of
suggestions. They are only trying to help and they often have years of experience with college essays
from helping former students with theirs.
7. Complete the Common Application
If you are not already familiar with the Common Application, you soon will be. Using the Common App,
you can apply to any of more than 900 colleges and universities with one application form. Given the
number of institutions that are on the Common App, it is likely that at least a few of your schools of
interest will be on it. In fact, it may be the only way to apply to those institutions if they are "Common
App Exclusive." You can begin filling it out the Common Application now. You will find it online at
www.commonapp.org. You don't have to complete it all in one sitting. All of your entries will be saved
whenever you decide to take a break.
8. Choose Two Teachers to Write College Recommendations
If you have not already spoken to two teachers and asked them to write for you in the fall, decide on
them now. Make it a point to talk with them as soon as school opens. If they are receptive to email
messages over the summer, send a message to each of them now, making your request.
9. Do Something Good for Others
Perhaps you are already have a long list of community service activities that you have performed in
recent years. If not, find a way to help others over the summer and into your senior year. Not only will
you make a difference for a few people who really need you, you will be surprised at how good it will
make you feel. It might even be another source of creative ideas for that college essay with which you
may be struggling. College people love to know that their high school applicants are committed to
helping others. They hope that you will continue those activities on their campuses and in their
surrounding communities. It leads to what they like to call good "town-gown" relations.
10. Be Nice to Yourself Too
Your senior year can be a lot of fun but the college process can be stressful for some students. In the
remaining weeks of the summer, save some time to kick back and relax. Go for a hike, visit the beach,
read a good book, or do whatever helps you de-stress and clear your head. Remember, the best is yet
to come.