If you have a rising high school senior, here’s what your child could be doing this summer…working on their college applications. Once Labor Day arrives, most seniors will be bogged down with a challenging course load filled with AP and honors classes, sports, clubs, and/or part-time jobs. Once September is here, whether school is virtual or in-person, when will there be time to complete college applications? As your child is writing their college essay at midnight, after completing their homework, how good will that essay be? How many times will you have to remind them to write their essay and ask if they have completed their college applications? Now factor this into the equation…with many colleges going test optional for the class of 2021, the admissions process will be different than in prior years. Is your head spinning yet? Read on to learn how to use this summer to catapult your rising senior ahead of the college application process!
Where do you start and how do you get your teenager on board with this plan? Now is a great time to visit any colleges you have not yet seen either virtually or by doing self guided tours at nearby campuses. If your child has not already done so, have them reach out to two junior year teachers to ask for letters of recommendation. The Common App and Coalition for College essay prompts are available, have your child take a look at them and start brainstorming. Spending an hour one day a week from now until the start of senior year, most students can have a rough draft completed.
On August 1st the 2020-2021 Common Application is officially available. Before then, your future college student can create an account and start to complete information in the Profile, Family, and Activities Sections as well as add the colleges to which they plan to apply under the Colleges Tab. After August 1st, they can begin to complete the supplements for each college and identify any additional essays they may need for colleges on their list. By dedicating a few hours each week to completing college applications and essays, you and your child can have a stress-free senior year!
Need help getting started? Schedule a Writer’s Block Session or sign up for College Application Basic Training or College Application Boot Camp to get help with your application and essay. All sessions are conducted via Zoom, FaceTime, or Skype. The college essay and application are the only opportunity a student has to paint a picture of who they are. How will your child make their application and essay memorable?
