A Senior Fall To-Do List

The to-do list for high school seniors seems to be growing longer each day. When they’re not doing homework, participating in their extracurricular activities, hanging with friends, sleeping, eating or texting, here’s what they’re thinking about: their college list, testing; upcoming campus visits; college applications; the Common Application essay, supplemental essays; transcripts; an activity list; letters of recommendation and scholarships.

Are you tired or stressed? Think about how they must feel.

Let’s try to de-stress the situation by creating a Fall timeline and breaking each of these bigger tasks into more manageable pieces.

Check them off as you complete them:

Finalize the college list by making certain it is a balanced list with reach/target/safety schools
Be sure to include an in-state safety school for financial reasons
Review the standardized testing calendar and register for the SAT in October, November or December or the ACT in October or December
Find out if any of the colleges on your list have separate “Scholarship Deadlines” – they are earlier than the traditional deadlines and you forfeit your opportunity for scholarship opportunities if you don’t apply by that deadline
Check your school’s calendar and take advantage of any teacher work days and schedule campus visits
See if any of the colleges you’re considering offer Open House Dates or Discovery Days for seniors
Determine which schools offer Early Action
Decide if a binding Early Decision option at one college makes sense
Figure out which of the colleges on your final list are on the Common Application and which are not
Research the number of essays required or recommended by each college and create a document for each college listing their essay prompts and their deadlines
Set up accounts on each college’s website
Prepare a timeline of activity based on each college’s deadline
Brainstorm essay ideas for colleges with the earliest deadlines first
Write a first draft of essays
Edit essays and yes, edit again
Ask a trusted source to review your essays
Meet with college representatives when they visit your school
Review and then order high school transcripts – find out how your high school is sending transcripts to each college. Most high schools are now transmitting transcripts electronically.
Prepare your resume/brag sheet/activity list and give it to your recommenders
Research which colleges accept letters of recommendation and find out how many they require and how many they will accept
Ask teachers, coaches, advisors and employers for letters of recommendation
Begin researching scholarship opportunities