This week, The Choice published our monthly Counselor’s Calendar, intended to keep students on track during the college admissions process.
We’ve asked Laura Schroeder, the director of college counseling at the John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Tex., for this month’s admissions advice for juniors.
Cynthia Crum Alverson and Sara Ringe, the director and assistant director of college counseling at Whitfield School in St. Louis, offer this month’s college checklist for seniors.
What follows are excerpts that are most relevant for international students. â€" Tanya Abrams
Spring has arrived, and with it the end of the school year. Before your summer begins, juniors, it is important to lay the groundwork for an organized application process in the fall.
Maintain Your Focus
You have heard repeatedly that your junior grades are important, and they are. They give colleges a final glimpse of a full year of your academic work. Finish the school year successfully by staying focused in your classes.
Plan Your Senior Curriculum
While your senior year course of study should be your most rigorous combination of courses in high school, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should take all of your school’s most demanding classes.
Generally, schools like to see that you have taken a wide range of core subjects; in the United States, specialization occurs in college, not in high school.
Many public universities have specific core requirements for admission (like four years of math, science and English), while highly selective universities expect to see that you’ve challenged yourself as much as possible within your high school’s curriculum.
If you are unsure of what you should take, speak to your guidance counselor or a teacher, as he or she can also help you weigh the demands of your courses with your extracurricular activities and other responsibilities.
Remember, too, that college applications require a significant amount of work, often the equivalent of taking another highly rigorous course.
And regardless of what you’ve heard, your senior grades do matter. Colleges request your midyear grades and expect you to maintain your current level of work.
Keep Track of Testing Deadlines
Revisit the testing timeline you developed in January and determine if it still works for you.
If you take the SAT or the ACT this spring, you’ll likely take one of the tests a second time in the fall, which gives you a brief break from testing.
Don’t forget to look at whether any of the schools on your list consider scores from SAT Subject Tests. While only a handful of colleges require these tests, most students take them in May or June. Make sure you plan ahead and register for the tests accordingly.
Initiate Family Conversations
During one of the weekly college meetings you read about last month, initiate an open discussion with your family about considerations that may affect your college search.
Maybe you’re envisioning going to college 2,000 miles from home, but your parents are thinking differently. Perhaps finances are a bigger factor than you realized. Having this conversation with your family now gives you time to consider this important information and still develop a list of schools that meets your needs.
Refine Your College List
Combine the information you have discussed with your family with your own research from college visits, books or Web sites, and begin editing your college list.
As you eliminate schools, make note of your reasons for doing so; they may help you determine what you’re really looking for in a school.
On the other hand, if you really love a school, consider why you’re drawn to it and look for schools that have similar qualities. While doing so, pay attention to each school’s acceptance rate and average grades and test scores so that your list includes a broad range of colleges.
Wrap Up Your Summer Plans
The way you spend your free time reflects your character. That said, you don’t have to travel the world or plan a huge service project to impress a college admission officer.
Do something that is important to you. Find a job to help pay for your college costs, shadow some professionals in your area, or volunteer. Most important, embrace the opportunity to learn more about yourself.
Be Proactive About the Process
This is just the beginning. Right now you are taking the steps to ensure you have options when your application results come back next year. You don’t need to know now where you’ll go to college or even exactly where you’re going to apply.
Spend time thinking and researching. As you do so, be open to your family’s thoughts and expect that your ideas may shift throughout the coming year. Being nervous is natural, but with careful planning now, you’ll be pleased with your options next spring.
These next few months set the tone for your application process. While it’s easy to put off tasks like researching colleges and having family discussions, completing these responsibilities now will ensure your process goes smoothly.
Devote time each week to your college process, but be careful not to let it be your only focus. As you proceed, you’ll find yourself feeling more confident and excited about the next phase of your life.
â€" Laura Schroeder
Seniors: College Checklist for AprilYou’re finally preparing to answer the question that well-intentioned family members, neighbors and complete strangers have been asking you for what feels like years: Where are you going to college
Getting to that May 1 National Decision Day successfully requires that you make one of the most important decisions of the whole college search process. If you have executed a thoughtful search, one that reflects your talents, interests and needs, then you are deciding between colleges that are good choices for you, colleges at which you are very likely to be quite happy.
So take your time. Utilize all of your resources. Try to ignore peer or family pressure which may influence you to select a college that someone else wants you to attend. Most of all, trust yourself â€" this is the next four years of your life.
Make Your Final College Visits
Whether or not you have visited campuses earlier in your search, making a visit to a few of your top choices in April is a wise decision, if your schedule and budget permit. Attend classes. Eat lunch in the dining room. Spend the night, if that is an option. Meet with the financial aid office to clarify any of your questions. Have a cup of coffee in the union. Can you see yourself there
If you cannot visit campus, find out if your college hosts spring receptions for admitted students in your area. You should also look online; some colleges have Facebook groups to connect prospective students.
It is not unusual to receive a congratulatory phone call from a current student, but if the phone doesn’t ring right away, ask the admission office if you could talk with a current student. What made him or her select the school
If finances are a significant concern for your family, please talk with the admission office at your colleges to see if travel grants are available.
Compare the Costs of Attending Each College
By now, you and your family should have talked about your budget for college.
Compare the total costs for each of your schools. Take into account any need-based financial aid and honorary scholarships you have received. What is the balance How does that number compare to your budget What is your total debt going to be when you graduate
Should you have questions, call the financial aid offices. They are happy to talk with you.
Choose Your College by May 1
Once you make your decision “Facebook official,†make sure you tell the other important people in your life: your family and your college counselor. They can help you celebrate and finalize the decision.
You have until May 1 to select your college and submit your enrollment deposit. You may submit an enrollment deposit only at one college and your high school is only going to send one final transcript to that college.
If you are on the wait list at a college, you are going to need to submit an enrollment deposit by May 1 to one of the schools that has admitted you. You may possibly forfeit your deposit there if you are offered and accept admission from a college where you currently are wait-listed.
Colleges will not grant you an extension on the May 1 deadline while you wait to hear whether you will be admitted to another college from the wait list.
Let Colleges Know if You Decide Not to Attend
Sometimes colleges have a formal way for you to decline their admission offers; other times you may need to send a letter or an e-mail to the college.
Be sure to thank the college for your admission offer and indicate that you have decided to attend another university. If you know where you are attending, you may choose to let them know.
Write Thank You Notes
Please remember the teachers and coaches who wrote recommendations for you. A hand-written note, expressing your appreciation and communicating your college plans, is something teachers truly value and deserve. They cared enough to write a letter on your behalf; they also care enough to know your college choice.
Remember: Your Final Transcripts Matter
Senioritis was discussed in the March Counselor’s Calendar. The topic is so important that we are going to repeat it here.
Colleges ask for your final transcripts because they matter. Re-read your admission letter. You must continue to do your best work in school to ensure your enrollment at your college and to lay the foundation for your continued success in college.
Stop and think carefully about decisions you make in and out of school. Please make excellent choices so that you do not find yourself in the unfortunate situation of your college rescinding your admission offer.
Read All Mail and E-mails From Your Colleges
It may seem obvious to check your mail, but on more than one occasion a student has missed a housing deadline or a summer orientation because she neglected to read her mail or e-mails. If your college is communicating with you, you need to pay attention.
May 1 will be here before you know it. With it come AP exams, senior projects, prom and your school’s graduation traditions. Our very best wishes for your continued success at the college fortunate enough to enroll you.
â€" Cynthia Crum Alverson and Sara Ringe
This post was prepared in consultation with the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, a membership organization.
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