September College Planning for Seniors

Activities to Prepare for Life After High School

Sep 5, 2009 Kerrie Troseth

The senior year of high school brings a variety of activities. College planning needs to be a top priority.

Every year a new group of students enter into their senior year of high school. While the step to the twelfth grade feels like an accomplishment, the real feat is creating a college plan. Certain activities need to be completed to ensure proper transition to college after high school.

Continue Taking College Preparatory Classes

Sometimes seniors feel as though they can take a lighter academic load. Some feel as though they deserve as easier academic year, almost like it is a present to themselves. Admission counselors do not agree with this train of thought. Counselors are looking for seniors who are demonstrating academic skills leading into college level work. By dropping a fourth year of math or science and taking elective classes, seniors may be sending a mixed message to colleges.

A senior year academic load should include English, social, math, and science. Additionally, courses in world language and arts are also beneficial. Colleges will request student schedules and transcripts throughout the senior year to evaluate academic progress. Senior should also reconsider dropping classes once accepted into a college and notifying colleges of changes to their schedules.

Consider Taking the SAT or ACT

Students who are considering a four year college must take either the SAT test or ACT test. Only a handful of colleges do not require the tests, so students are smart to take one of the tests at least once.

Both tests offer testing dates throughout the school year. Students can still apply to colleges and take the SAT test or ACT test at a later date. The test score result is then sent to the colleges for a final evaluation for admission. The SAT test and ACT test allows students to register up to three weeks prior to testing, so students need to be aware of the deadlines.

Student who have taken one of the tests may want to increase their test score. Many options are available to assist students to increase their score, including taking a practice test, hiring an ACT tutor or SAT tutor, and taking a test prep class.

Find the College Application

At this point of the year, seniors should have 10 or fewer potential colleges to apply for admission. Each college requires an application to be submitted. Most colleges have electronic applications, so applications can be found on the school’s website under the section for admission.

Students should read through each of the applications thoroughly. Applications can begin to be filled out now; however, a parent or guardian should review the information prior to submittal. Proofreaders can help to point out any errors. Also, a college application resume would be useful with this step.

Contact Admission Counselors for Each College of Interest

Admission counselors are hired by the college to find students most appropriate for their institution. Many counselors travel throughout the year to promote the school. During the months of November, December, and January, the counselors are reviewing all of the applications and determining which students will be accepted, waitlisted, or denied.

For the counselors to make the most accurate acceptance determination, they need to know the students who are applying. By contacting a college admission counselor early on, students can get to know the counselor. The counselor will bring this information to the admission committee to determine admission status. Committees have a difficult time determining is a student is a good match for the school simply based on an application and test scores.

Find Out about High School College Application Processes

Inevitably, students will have to seek out someone at their high school for college application assistance. This may include how to order transcripts, who will fill out the high school secondary report, and who writes letters of recommendations. Each high school will have their own process on college applications, including deadlines for submitting applications and wait times for recommendations. High school counselors are a good resource for this type of information.

September can be a very busy and exciting month for seniors in high school. Homecoming dances, football games, and the start of school can distract students from the college application process. Seniors can stay on top of the process by planning ahead.

The copyright of the article September College Planning for Seniors in Middle/High School is owned by Kerrie Troseth. Permission to republish September College Planning for Seniors in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Senior Year College Plan