Homecoming, prom, graduation, plus college applications will take over your senior year, so these are the 15 things high school seniors should do now.
Senior year will be fun and possibly stressful if you haven’t started your college planning. Will you submit your college applications for early action or early decision? What schools give the best financial aid packages? Wait…You haven’t decided what colleges you are even interested in? If you don’t know the answers to these questions the best time to figure it out is now.
Don’t worry because It is never too late to dive into the college process. I will help you prioritize your college planning process and show you everything all seniors need to do right at this moment.
After learning about all the things high school seniors should do now, you will be heading into your senior year as a BOSS!!!
This post is all about how to jumpstart your senior year by simply doing these 15 things high school seniors should do now.
15 Things high school seniors should do now
1. If you have taken the ACT or SAT and are ecstatic about your test scores, skip to the next step. If you need to improve your test scores plan on registering for the next test date.
2. If you have created a college list good for you and you can skip to the next step. If you have not created a college list, it is time to brainstorm. Do your research and build a list of at least 10 colleges.
3. Talk to current students and recent grads at your prospective colleges, and take notes on their pros and cons for each school.
4. After the campus tours, college fairs, and student/grad talks you may want to update your college list one final time.
5. Do not forget to demonstrate an interest in your prospective colleges. Attend the local college fair or any virtual activities and make sure to introduce yourself to the college recruiters. This is a great time for campus visits and take advantage of virtual tours if you can not visit the campus in person.
6. Start applying for colleges. Create a College App account at https://commonblackcollegeapp.com/ or https://www.commonapp.org/. If you are applying for more than one college this is your one-stop shop for college applications. You can apply for most colleges through the above Common Apps which usually opens on August 1 and pay close attention to each college application deadline.
7. Need help finding scholarships? Pull out your college list and go to each college’s website. Most colleges will list their institutional and private scholarships on their website. Also, call each college’s Financial Aid office for additional scholarship information.
Related Post: 8 Questions to Ask Yourself When Applying for College Scholarships
8. Still, need scholarship help? Let EVERYONE know you are looking for scholarships. A great way to find out about local scholarships is to ask family members, friends, current and previous teachers, college students, alumni, and businesses if they have any scholarship suggestions.
9. Apply consistently for scholarships. A lot of the large national scholarships will open in the fall. Even though the national scholarships are extremely competitive, the more scholarships you apply for the more you increase your chances of winning. Most of your local scholarships will open in the winter and spring and by that time you will be a pro at completing scholarship applications.
Related Post: 5 Habits of Highly Successful Scholarship Winners
10. Visit your high school counselor often. You want to make sure your counselor knows you. Your counselor will be sending letters of recommendation for college, scholarships, and possibly for a summer job or volunteer work. Also, your counselor is a great source for scholarships and to assist in the college admissions process.
11. Find your recommenders. Create a list of people who know you well enough to write a recommendation for your college and scholarship applications.
12. A lot of families skip this step but it is extremely vital in paying for college. On October 1 the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens. You should complete the FAFSA on October 1. Even if you feel that you don’t qualify you should still complete the financial aid forms because some scholarships also require you to send a copy of your student aid report which is generated from your FAFSA.
13. Make this year your best year academically because colleges will look at your 12th-grade schedule and grades. You should be taking classes that will challenge you and prepare you for college and remember good grades matter.
14. Do not drop or slack off in your extracurricular activities and community involvement. Just because this is your last year of high school don’t get distracted. Colleges are interested in how you spend your time outside of the classroom. They are looking for students who are engaged in and out of the classroom.
15. Create a senior year bucket list and try to check everything off your list, because you are only a high school senior once. Take time to enjoy your senior year. It will fly by so make sure you capture lots of memories.
Whether you are writing a college essay or making a college decision, the college admissions process may not be easy. However, if you implement some of the things high school seniors should do now, you will be closer to enrolling in your dream college and having the best senior year.
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