As another school year approaches, our rising high school juniors are about to enter what is typically the most challenging year of high school. More demanding classes, greater responsibilities in extracurriculars, and the introduction of college-related prep work - standardized testing, college visits, college application prep – all contribute towards this increased difficulty. However, there are some college admissions tasks we can complete this month that will help lighten the load once the school year starts.
Create Your Common App Account: The Common App is where you will submit your applications in the fall of senior year, but I like students to get comfortable with the platform early. It’s completely free and takes about 2 minutes to create your account. Just go to www.commonapp.org to do this.
Begin Developing the Common App Activities List: The activities list (found in the activities section under the Common App tab in the Common App) is deceptive. At first glance, it looks very easy to fill out. But for most students, this section requires a significant amount of time and reflection. I strongly recommend rising juniors build an initial version of their activities list (using the same format found in the Common App) and then continue to update it throughout the year.
Develop a College List: If you haven’t done so yet, this month is a great time to begin building a list of colleges you might be interested in exploring further. Think about things like location, size, academic major, and distance from home to craft your initial list (I’d recommend no more than 25 schools on the list to start). From there, you can begin researching each school (I’d recommend starting with a virtual tour of each campus).
If you are able to complete the above actions this month, you will be in great shape for the school year ahead!
If you’d like to hear more about the above steps, join me on 21 August for a free “College Admissions 101” Webinar. Just go here to grab your free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/college-admissions-101-tickets-756355629047
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