Summer is a great time to get a jump on the college search and applications process. Here's a helpful checklist to get students started.
Rising Seniors- Start writing your college essay. Don't leave it for the last minute. Brainstorm ideas about your experiences and accomplishments, and make an outline. If you are struggling with the essay, try a different prompt. The essay should reveal your strengths and talents, along with your writing ability.
- Evaluate your testing plan. Do any of the colleges you are considering require subject tests? Summer is also a great opportunity to prepare to retake the SAT or ACT before submitting your applications in the fall, even if you are considering early admission (check with your target colleges).
- Visit colleges and universities. Take campus tours and attend college information sessions. Make sure to fill out the visit cards of each campus -- your visit demonstrates interest in the school, a positive sign to admission officers.
- Check your senior schedule. Colleges look for students who take rigorous courses in their senior year. A challenging academic schedule goes a long way in the admissions process.
Rising Juniors
- Choose application-friendly activities. Whether your plans include a summer job, an internship, camp, travel, classes or community service, colleges want to know how you spend your summers.Visit idealist.org and volunteermatch.org to find volunteer opportunities.
- Take a practice SAT or ACT to determine your test prep strategy. You can take an actual test in home and receive a detailed, computerized score report that identifies strengths and weaknesses by contacting Key Academics. Summer is also a great time to receive tutoring for the test, since there are fewer distractions than during the school year.
- Read. Boost your grades and test scores by building vocabulary and improving reading comprehension. Augment your school summer reading assignments with articles and editorials from newspapers, books and magazines, which can even sometimes resemble passages on the SAT and ACT.
