For International Students, College Checklists for June

This week, The Choice published our monthly Counselor’s Calendar, intended to keep students on track during the college admissions process.

We’ve asked Kristen Learner, the director of college counseling at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and Jeffrey Wong, a college counselor at the school, for this month’s admissions advice for juniors.

Nikki Magaziner Mills, the director of college counseling at St. Albans School in Washington, offers this month’s college checklist for graduating seniors.

What follows are excerpts that are most relevant for international students. â€" Tanya Abrams

Juniors: College Checklist for June

Resist the Lull

With summer break just around the corner, June can be a tough month for juniors. Warmer weather, classes coming to an end and the sweet promise of sleeping past 7 a.m. can combine to lull you into an early case of senioritis.

Do not succumb! During the final days of classes, you are putting the finishing touches on a high school transcript that will make its way into the hands of college admission officers in the fall.

Finalize Your Senior Schedule

U.S. colleges look to admit students who are entering their academic prime. As such, your senior year schedule should be your most rigorous to date.

A solid academic program that challenges you and puts you in a position to succeed â€" and, hopefully, includes a foreign language â€" will go a long way in the college admission process. Seek the advice of your 11th-grade teachers, your counselor, your parents and perhaps even a college admission officer to create the best possible schedule.

Ask for Teacher Recommendations

Recommendation letters from one or two teachers of core academic subjects allow admission officers to go beyond your grades and standardized test scores and learn more about you, your learning style and your academic abilities.

As your junior year concludes, think about 11th- and 12th-grade teachers who can describe your academic abilities and performance. Who knows you best? Ask these teachers if they are willing to write a letter in your support. If they hesitate, consider asking someone else.

Begin Your Summer Plans

U.S colleges want to know how you spend your summers. While sitting by the pool, watching television and playing video games provide a bit of well-deserved downtime, this is not what you want to list on the extracurricular section of your college applications.

Whether your plans include a summer job, an internship, camp, travel, classes, community service or all of the above, it is time to swing into action.

Evaluate Your Testing Plan

As you pause between junior and senior years, summer is a good time to evaluate your standardized testing plan.

Do you prefer the ACT or the SAT? Are your scores higher on one of the tests? Do any of the colleges you are considering require subject tests? Remember: More than 800 colleges and universities do not require standardized testing as part of the admission process. Visit www.fairtest.org for a list of these institutions.

Start Writing Your College Essay

Your high school transcript is the initial criterion used to evaluate your application, but the college essay is a chance to introduce yourself to the admission committee. This is your opportunity to tell them who you are, what you value and what they would not know about you from the rest of your application.

While it is not necessary to complete a final draft in June, it is a good idea to start writing your essay in the summer, when you don’t have school essays and projects hanging over your head. The five new Common Application essay prompts are now available and are a good place to begin thinking about what you will write.

Fulfill Specific Requirements for Athletes and Artists

Are you thinking about pursuing the arts or playing a sport in college? If so, your application process may include a few additional components.

If you are an athlete, use this time to create an athletic résumé and collect highlight film footage. Artists should find out what their prospective colleges require and use this time to prepare an art portfolio or, if applicable, select a piece to perform for auditions.

Consider How You Will Pay for College

Now is the time to talk to your family about paying for your college education. Don’t be scared away by the listed cost of attendance. With financial aid, the most expensive institution can often become the most affordable.

College and university net price calculators will give you a better sense of what you will be expected to pay. The financial aid officers at these institutions are also a great resource. Having these important conversations now will ensure that your financial aid process is off to a strong start.

Read, Relax and Recharge

The fall will be very busy, and you want to make sure you return to school ready for all that senior year will require of you. Summer is a great time to move forward with the college admission process, but it is also an important time to recharge and spend time with family and friends.

Make time for yourself and the activities you enjoy. Senior year will be here in no time, so enjoy your time off, finish your summer reading and be ready to start strong in the fall!

â€" Kristen Learner and Jeffrey Wong

Seniors: College Checklist for June

Finalize Your Admission

Make a list of tasks you need to complete before you arrive on campus this fall. Have you:

• Accepted your financial aid offer?
• Contacted the financial aid office if you have questions about your aid package?
• Completed housing and health forms?
• Taken subject placement tests?
• Answered roommate preference surveys?

Your to-do list might be different from your best friend’s. Read all mail and e-mail correspondence from your college, which will provide instructions on how to complete these tasks. Keep track of what is done and what is left to do. Make copies of any forms you submit.

Submit Your Final Transcript to Your College and Waiting-List Schools

Make sure you have followed your institution’s instructions on how to submit your end-of-year transcript.

Still hopeful about a waiting list? Send a final transcript to that college, too. Keep in mind that there may be limited waiting-list activity during the summer. Once a waiting list has closed, the college will notify you that its class is full.

Submit Your A.P. Scores

If you expect college credit for Advanced Placement exams, send your official scores to your college directly from the College Board, which administers the A.P. program.

Register for Orientation Programs

If your college offers a summer orientation program, try your best to attend. This will be an opportunity for you to meet your academic adviser, register for fall classes and learn the lay of your new land.

Many colleges also have pre-orientation programs that invite small groups of students to come to campus early and experience something interesting together, like a camping trip or volunteer work in the neighborhood. Consider taking this opportunity to bond with a small group of fellow freshmen before the entire class arrives on campus.

Connect With Your Roommate

Your college roommate will be a new and interesting person, someone to learn from and learn about, whether the two of you are just alike or completely different.

You don’t have to be best friends with your roommate, but you will have to co-exist. Use this summer to set a good tone for your year together. Say hello, voice-to-voice or online, and decide how best to manage your small space. (Maybe one room-size sound system is enough.)

Look Around, Smell the Flowers, Say Thank You

Whether you loved high school or hated it, be sure to stop and take it all in before it’s over. Be present in your last few days or weeks of school. Pay attention to the silly kid in science and stay after class to talk to your favorite teacher.

Chances are you didn’t get to this point on your own, so thank the people who helped you on your way. (Just a tip: Those thanks are best said in handwritten notes.)

Hug Your Family and Friends

The summer after your senior year can be a happy, but tense, time at home. As excited as you feel about spreading your wings, your family may be equally sad and sentimental about your leaving home.

If you find yourself arguing with your parents about curfews or dorm decorations, keep in mind that it may be a symptom of much bigger emotions. You want to be independent, and they want you to be independent, but it will be hard for them to watch you go.

Practice Being an Adult

In these next few months, try your hand at managing all aspects of your life. Wake up on your own, to an alarm. Do your own laundry. Learn how to cook your favorite meal. Schedule your own health care appointments and find new doctors in your college town. Figure out when and how to exercise. Set a budget and live within it.

Set Some Goals

Find some quiet time to set academic, extracurricular and personal goals for next year. College is a fresh start, a new slate. Are you ready to discover something new about yourself?

Remember That It’s Not Always Like the Viewbooks

Don’t underestimate the challenges that will come with transitioning from a place you know by heart to a brand new environment.

College is going to be great, but it isn’t always perfect, and it doesn’t always feel perfect from Day 1.

It may take weeks or months for you to find your footing. This is normal. Think about who you are and who you want to be. If you are feeling grounded and confident as college begins, any bumps in the road will smooth out quickly.

This summer, endings and beginnings meet in the sweetest of ways. Celebrate, reflect, prepare and plan. There is so much ahead of you!

â€" Nikki Magaziner Mills

This post was prepared in consultation with the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, a membership organization.