School's out and it's time for summer jobs and summer fun. In between swim parties and hanging out with friends, students are mowing lawns and scooping ice cream, getting a taste of work responsibilities. Isn't that enough, you wonder? Maybe for some, but summer is also a great time to move the college search forward and get a jump on applications. Why wait until fall, when the challenges of senior year prevail? Motivated students can use the summer to get a significant head start.
Finalize the college list
If you've spent junior year reading about colleges and visiting campuses, you should be ready to narrow down your choices. Perhaps you have a clear first choice where you know you'll be admitted. In that case, you may not need or want to apply anywhere else. However, if like many students you wish to apply to a range of colleges in terms of admission competition, then you'll have to think carefully about your final application list. Whether you apply to five or six colleges or instead eight or nine, be certain each entry on your list matches your interests and provides an environment where you can be successful academically and comfortable personally.
Take care to include at least two colleges where admission is "highly likely." You'll be able to make this determination if your statistical profile (GPA, test scores, class rank) is at the high end of the college's typical applicant pool and the college's admission rate is not frighteningly low. If the more competitive colleges on your list don't offer admission, these applications should enable you to have a choice.
Organize your work
Make a spreadsheet to track application deadlines, requirements, essay questions and more. You'll be amazed how much easier it is to work through things with this organizational tool. Mark due dates on your calendar, too.
Begin your scholarship search
Complete a profile on a scholarship search engine's Web site so you'll start receiving email alerts about potential matches. This will give you plenty of time to comb through these alerts and determine which scholarship programs you plan to pursue with applications. My favorite site for this is www.fastweb.com.
Tackle applications
Colleges generally post revised application forms online mid-summer. The Common Application, a form set accepted by several hundred colleges, promises to have its 2009 application available online July 1 at www.commonapp.org. Many colleges have already posted essay questions on their Web sites, well ahead of the new forms' availability. You can brainstorm essay topics, develop outlines and even move on to create a draft and then final copy over the course of the summer. You can also develop your activity list or resume so it's ready to go when the time comes to submit applications this fall.
Prepare for fall testing
If you plan to retake the SAT or ACT this fall, allocate time to prepare for the test(s). Whether you take a class, engage a tutor or coach yourself independently through the practice tests, your work should make a difference in the new results. Oh, and don't forget to register online for fall test dates! That's something you can take care of easily this summer.
Request recommendations
If you're applying to colleges where teacher recommendations are required, think carefully about which of your core academic instructors would recommend you most heartily. Consider contacting each teacher you have in mind to see whether he or she is willing to write on your behalf. Teachers love vacation months but appreciate early requests for recommendations so they can gather their thoughts during relaxing times.
Finding the right match
Your college search is all about identifying colleges where you can thrive academically and socially. So, too, is the college application process; it serves as a barometer for your interest level in the process generally and in each college specifically. If you allow some time between summer jobs and tennis games to focus on college applications, you'll be that much closer to your goal when your friends are just starting their application work in the fall. Won't that be a great measure of your summer fun.
Jane S. Shropshire of Shropshire Educational Consulting, LLC, guides students and families through the college search process. Send questions or suggestions to JShrop@att.net.