| Although summertime is a welcome break
for most students from their high school education, it is a good time
to make progress in planning for education beyond high school. During
the summer before the senior year, there are several things students
can do to help prepare for college applications in the fall. Listed
below are some suggested activities related to college selection and
the application process: |
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Using resources available in the public
library and the suggestions of family and friends, develop and expand
your current list of schools to investigate. Summer is a good time
to do the research you may not have found the time to do in the spring.
Learn the competitive level of the different colleges, the entrance
requirements and the difference between liberal arts and specialized
majors. |
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Try to visit colleges which are difficult
to reach during the school year. Even though the regular students
may not be present, you can still gain much information about the
college environment that will help you make final application decisions. |
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Write letters to colleges in which
you have an interest, requesting a catalog and any other desired information
such as financial aid. Although applications may not be available
until early fall, students may want to request an application from
those colleges which seem likely to be on their final lists. |
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Talk with older students who are home
from colleges about which you want to learn more. They should have
“first hand” knowledge to share. |
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Review SAT dates for the fall and
mark them on a calendar with registration deadlines. (Deadline for
registration for the first October exam is soon after school starts
in September.) Go to: <www.collegeboard.com> |
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If students have not scored as well
on previous entrance exams as they would like, they may want to use
the summer for individual preparation or for SAT review courses. An
updated booklet is available in the room 156 Guidance Area. |
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Consider summer sources of character
references such as employers, activity group leaders, coaches, etc.
Ask these people for a reference during the summer so they will have
time to prepare it by the fall. If students have not obtained teacher
references this past spring, they may want to identify one or two
persons whom they might ask soon after the start of the school year. |
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Begin a rough-draft list of activities
and interests. Students might want to include extracurricular activities,
honors and awards, volunteer or work experience, travel or special
interests. This information will eventually be sent to colleges and
is often asked about during interviews. |
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Try writing drafts of the types of
essay questions most commonly found on applications. It helps to begin
thinking of how a person might respond to typical essay (or interview)
questions. Some of the typical college essay questions concern books,
career goals, influential people in an applicant’s life, special
interests, achievements and events of particular importance. |
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| College Search Check List pdf |
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to Guidance Home Page |
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