In March, The Choice introduced a series called Counselor’s Calendar, to keep students on track as they wrangle with the admissions process.
This installment focuses on the class of 2013, who will submit their college applications in a few months. (Rising juniors, your work is just beginning. We published your July checklist on Monday.) We’ve asked Ann E. Selvitelli, the director of college counseling at
Suffield Academy in Suffield, Conn., for some advice on what the members of the class of 2013 should be doing as they prepare for college. — Daniel E. Slotnik
Rising seniors, here is your college admissions checklist:
SENIORS…yes, Class of 2013, your time has come! You are now officially seniors and are readying yourselves for your final year of high school. Along with the excitement of being the academic, athletic, and social leaders of your school comes a nervousness incited by unanswered questions: “Where should I apply to college? Where will I be a year from now? Do I even want to go to college?” Take a deep breath, trust yourself, and ask for help! Here are some tips to get you started this month:
Talk to Your Parents (Really)
I find one of the biggest stressors throughout the college search is communication between the student and his or her parents. Ironically, the ones who love you the most and brought you into this world are very often the same ones who make you want to run away and never discuss college again.
Try designating one day of the week when talking about college is fair game. On that day you and your parents set aside some time to answer each others’ questions and have frank discourse on how your college search is going. Perhaps you leave the “meeting” with to-do lists for each of you. Mom, you will register me for the September ACT and October SAT. Son, you promise to research three colleges your parents would like you to consider closer to home. You get the idea. Parents will relax because the college search is underway, and seniors can rest assured that they will not be peppered with college questions every waking moment. It’s a win-win.
One last note: if you and your parents haven’t talked about how college tuition will be paid, this needs to be an immediate and honest conversation ASAP. If you need help figuring out what you can afford, see finaid.org and thecollegesolution.com.
Summer Reading (and I Don’t Mean Facebook)
Most high schools have a required summer reading list over the summer. I know this because my school does — heck, even my rising kindergartener has one! Here’s the upside: reading can naturally improve your test scores, so make sure you not only do your assigned reading but also read other things of interest to you. If holding a paperback is not your favorite thing, try downloading a summer read onto your iPad or e-reader of choice. And since I know you won’t be ditching your Facebook accounts any time soon, here’s another quick tip for you: it’s time to give your profile a fresh look. A good rule of thumb is that any picture or posting you wouldn’t be comfortable showing to your grandparents (or an admissions officer reading your application) should be taken down. Remember, college admissions officers are savvy and social media is a fun and effective means for them to check you out. Check those privacy settings as well.
Your “Un”-Common Application
The Common Application will open their 2012-2013 online application on August 1, 2012, but there is a paper version available for download now. The application is accepted by over 450 colleges and universities, so there is a pretty good chance you will be using it at least once. If not, it still asks for the same information collected on other applications. Print out a paper copy and start collecting information for the biographical sections. Trust me, you do not want to wake up your parents on November 1st at 11:45 p.m. to ask them what year they graduated from college or what they actually do for a living.
In an ideal world you don’t want to be filling out any part of your college applications at the last minute. Give yourself the gift of time for the fall by getting as much done as possible this summer. Every year, seniors lament frittering away their summertime instead of using it to get a head start. Starting early also gives you time to start working on your college essay. There is the main “personal statement,” but also be on the lookout for those sneaky essays that creep onto a “Supplemental Form” required by some colleges. Anything you can do to be organized before the first school bell rings this fall is a tremendous gift to yourself. You are worth it!
Take Charge
Ever feel like your life is running on autopilot? Do your parents suggest questions to ask on college tours and create outlines of possible essays while you glumly acquiesce? Or are you just so nervous about this whole process that you feel like you are standing in glue, daunted by the college choices in front of you?
Remember this: you are the one going to college. It needs to be a college that fits you. One where you can study what you want, how you want, with the types of people you enjoy and where you can pursue activities you already love and discover others that you will. Jump into the driver’s seat today! It is okay to have co-pilots; in fact, you should. Your parents and guidance or college counselor are there for you, as are your friends. But again, this is about you. Form your own opinions, do your research, ask questions that are important and ignore those that seem rote. Don’t judge one college based on one tour guide or your mother’s friend’s boyfriend’s opinion on a college he knew someone attended in 1991. This is your journey. Get out a pencil and start your own road map.
How far ahead are you on your applications? How responsible have you been in your college search? Let us know in the comment box below.
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