Summer Letter To Seniors

In an effort to make the college process as stress free as possible, guidance has outlined 3 important things seniors should be working on over the summer:

1. The College List

Students should spend time over the summer researching and visiting colleges. By the end of the summer they should have a list of the colleges they are interested in applying to. This way, they can then start working on supplemental forms and essays specific to each college.

Their list should include 2-3 of each type of school:

• REACH–college standards exceed your scores
• TARGET–college standards comparable to your scores
• LIKELY–your scores exceed college’s

2. College Essays

Students should have their Common Application personal essays completed by the end of September. To see topic choices go to www.commonapp.org.

Students should aim to have all supplemental essays that are specific to each college completed by October 15th. It is each student’s responsibility to know the essay requirements for each college they are applying to. Students should be spending time at home completing their essays, so that the essays can then be reviewed by their counselor in LEAP class in September.

3. The Common Application

The Common Application (www.commonapp.org) is an electronic system that lets students complete one application and send it to multiple colleges. It is used by over 365 of the most popular schools. Draft versions are available that you can print and practice filling out. However, the live application is not available until August 1st. Students should have the majority of their Common Application completed before school starts in September. It is also helpful to start preparing applications for schools that do not use the Common Application.

Also, please make sure to stay on top of all important dates. Students and parents are expected to know all deadlines, application fee amounts, mailing addresses, essay requirements, and SAT subject test requirements for each school they intend to apply. 

Enjoy your summer and make sure to spend some time college planning. Please come in to school in September ready to share with your counselor your college list, essays, and applications. We look forward to working on the college process more with you this upcoming fall.

Sincerely Your School Counselors,

Justin Brown & Robyn Thomas