High School Senior Checklist for College

As high school seniors gear up to begin their final year before they head off to college, there are a plethora of things to accomplish over the next several months to make sure you have everything in order for your college applications.

According to Marge Eberts and Peggy Gisler from PostBulletin.com, here is a checklist for high school seniors:

1. In the first few weeks of your senior year, set up a meeting with your high school counselor to ensure you are on track to not only graduate, but you are fulfilling all of the college entrance requirements.
2. If you haven’t done so yet, register to take the SAT and/or the ACT. Even if you have already taken these exams, you may want to give them another shot, especially if you were not satisfied with your previous scores. In addition, check with your counselor to see if you can get a fee waiver if your family may not be able to afford the cost.
3. Complete your research on all of the colleges you are interested in attending. Things to consider include distance from home, size of the college, professor to student ratio, percentage of freshman that graduate, extracurricular activities the college offers, and reviews from students already attending the college.
4. Check with each college to see if it requires the Common Application, and if it does, visit the Common Application website to secure the application as soon as possible.
5. Remember to check to see if the colleges you are applying to need references and/or letters of recommendation and then identify which teachers, coaches, and/or counselors, you will ask. And please don’t wait until the last-minute. Approach them as soon as you can to ask them if they will do this for you.
6. When you begin filling out your college applications, make sure you carefully follow all of the directions and double-check on all deadlines and be sure to meet every deadline.
7. Start looking into any scholarships and financial aid, include filling out a FAFSA application.

The college application process can be a time-consuming, exhausting, yet exhilarating experience. If you need any help with your college application, we offer a variety of programs so please give us a call and we can help you out.