DURING MONTH OF MAY Your final month before summer. Get everything ready to go so that you can jump start your college admission when you start your senior year.
Task1: Monthly Checklist
checklist of prior tasks that should be completed
College Search Finished?
You should have completed your list of colleges that you would like to attend. Your college list should include a profile of college costs, admission requirements, and study programs.
There are three categories
of schools
you should list:
2-3 schools that you could definitely get in
4-5 schools that you could probably get in
7-8 schools that you would like to get in
You should budget on how much you can
afford for application submission. If the application
submission costs for 16 or more schools
is too much, narrow
your search to 3-3-3.
You will need to have the following items ready when you submit your application. So start early to avoid the last minute rush:
College
Recommendations:
Most college admissions application require
1-2 recommendations from teachers
and/or community leaders. Select who should write your recommendation. Give the person plenty of time (about
3-4 weeks prior to your deadline).
Also provide them a short autobiography, outside activities, school transcript and a self-addressed envelope as instructed by your college. Please note that the
teacher works with hundreds of students. Give them sufficient time and a summarized profile on yourself.
Your college admissions application
will most likely require 1- 2 essays. Find out from your colleges of your choice what essays (and topics) will be required.
Don't wait until the last minute to write
and edit your essays. The
essay is an important decisional parameter for college admission.
Essay resource and
editing services: use this resource to edit your essay — you will expert advice from professionals who are experts in college essay review
EssayEdge.com
Meet with your guidance counselor to check your transcripts. You will need to forward these transcripts to colleges for admission review. Double check to make sure everything is correct:
all grades are posted correctly
all required courses for graduation are listed
all required courses for college admittance are listed
ensure that senior-level required courses are scheduled
review any gaps that need to be filled
Extracurricular's:
You want to show well-roundness
in your application. Just
the right amount of studies (with good grades) and outside
activities. Don't think that
a lot of extracurricular activities are a must.
You just need to show a balance academic and outside activities .
You should schedule time during the Summer months to visit your colleges of choice. Make the trip during a weekend or as a family event. These visits will give you a good indication whether or not you would like to attend.
Campus
Visit Checklist
Start with a virtual tour: this is good place to start prior to making an actual visit: www.campustours.com
When
doing a visit,
check out the library,
student unions,
sporting facilities, and academic centers. Walk the campus to familiarize yourself with the layout.
Review housing facilities and dormitories
to determine whether to live on-campus or off-campus housing. Note the college rules for housing. Some colleges require first-time Freshmen to live in dormitories.
Schedule time to speak with
students and faculty. Visit the clubs and societies
that are part of the campus
life. Check campus rules, safety
programs, and facilities that
maintain the safety of the campus.
Drive around the surrounding
community
to familiarize yourself with restaurants, theaters,
rec areas, job opportunities,
etc.
Use the summer to raise money you will need for college.
That money can be used for tuition, housing, transportation and even some college entertainment:
Summer work programs: Job listing for teens from many brand-name retail and other name companies: www.snagajob.com
another posting of summer jobs: www.summerjobs.com
job postings exclusively for teens: www.teens4hire.org
Internship Programs: internships in your field of interest is a great way to get experience that will help you college http://internships.wetfeet.com
Search Classified
ads in LOCAL PAPERS: you will find many local summer jobs through your local online classifieds: www.newspaperlinks.com
