Congratulations – you finished junior year and are officially a high school senior for 2023-24! For seniors planning to attend a college or university after high school, there are many important preparation steps that you can take this summer!
1. Build your college list – research colleges of interest to fine-tune your list and decide on the top 5-10 that you will actually apply to.
2. Participate in college visits – both virtual and in-person campus visits provide valuable information to help you find the best match for your interests and goals.
3. Develop your activities list/resume - make a list of the top ten activities you have been involved in and care deeply about. Write a short (150 characters or less) description of each activity which can be used on your applications.
4. Brainstorm topics for your main essay… and then write your 500-650 word essay to be used in your applications. If you write your essay this summer, you will have time in early fall to ask others to give you feedback and/or review it for you.
5. Open a Common App account after August 1st and begin populating the fields with your biographical information. Once your activity list has been fine-tuned you can use it to populate the Common App as well.
6. Decide on the best people to ask for letters of recommendation -- you will typically need two letters of recommendation in addition to the one written by your Guidance Counselor. Be prepared to ask recommenders early in the school year as they get inundated with requests.
7. Pick the best summer activities – work, shadowing, informational interviewing – to help you learn more about possible fields of interest and/or to earn money for college expenses.
Confident College Planning, LLC helps students and families through the steps of finding the best fit for their unique goals and interests. Contact me at nancy@confidentcollegeplanning.com for more information on how I can provide assistance along the way!
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