The most common praise our Collegewise counselors get from their students is, “I was done with college applications before all my friends were.” One of the ways we help our students finish so early is to start the college application process over the summer. If you’re a senior (class of 2014) applying to college this fall, I hope your summer is going to be full of fun, relaxation, and some enjoyable activities. But you can make your college application process a lot easier—and more successful—by taking five important steps over the summer.
1. Finalize your list of colleges.
Many student wait until the fall to even decide where they want to apply. Why wait? Deciding where you're going to apply is much easier than deciding where you're actually going to go (which doesn't happen for most students until late in your senior year). Research your schools, talk to your parents, and visit any colleges you can get to this summer. You can always alter your list this fall if a visit to a college (or the advice of your high school counselor) prompts you to make list adjustments. But the first step to completing applications is deciding which schools will be on the list. Don’t wait to make that decision.
2. Collect all of the necessary information about deadlines and application requirements.
Which test scores are required? Will you need teacher recommendations? What are the application deadlines? These questions are all clearly answered in the admissions sections of the colleges' websites. Don't wait until you're swamped with senior year work and activities to sort through the requirements. If you check those sites this summer, you'll make sure there are no surprises when you start filling out applications later.
3. Register for fall SAT, Subject Tests or ACT exams.
Now is the time to register if you plan to take any standardized tests this fall (fall test dates fill up fast). You can sign up for the SAT or Subject Tests at collegeboard.com, or the ACT at act.org.
4. Get started on applications.
Many colleges make their applications available this summer, including those on the Common Application, which will be live August 1. It's a lot easier to work on essays and applications during the summer when you aren't in school all day and doing homework at night. Start this summer and you'll have a much easier time this fall.
5. Back off…and step up.
One of the reasons so many families find the application process stressful is that they argue over the project-management duties. Parents tell kids to get things done. Kids tell parents to back off. Lather, rinse, repeat. There is a lot of important work that needs to get done; it’s all driven by deadlines, and parents aren’t allowed to fill out college applications for kids—those are the rules. I can tell you that the families who enjoy this time the most allow students to drive their own processes with parents supporting and encouraging from the sidelines. So parents, back off. Students, step up. Do those two things, and the other application-related challenges will be much easier to handle.