Instead of leaving the college application process for senior year, juniors make it their goal to finish beforehand over the summer. Rising seniors are planning out their summers with college visits, writing college essays and deciding which colleges to apply to.
Students can start applying as early as Aug. 1, when colleges release essay questions through platforms such as Common App and Questbridge. To be prepared for the application process, summer can be a time to refine college lists, write college essays, study for the SAT and build activities lists.
“A lot of my friends that have already graduated high school told me not to stress about it,” junior Samantha Sabogal, who is a student athlete, said. “It seems like a lot because of all the essays, teacher recommendations and putting in your test scores, but they just said think of it as applying for a job. It shouldn’t be stressful and it should be quick and easy.
With many options to choose from, refining college lists can help students figure out where they fit best. Checking how much a school’s tuition is, what majors the school offers, the campus life, location and campus size can reduce the number of colleges students want to apply to.
College visits are also something students can do over the summer with their parents and friends, which can help narrow their college lists to 5-10 schools. According to The College Board, making the most out of college visits, gathering information, exploring the campus and asking the right questions is helpful when determining which college is the best fit.
“Visiting [Saint Vincent] college helped make my decision easier and quicker,” Sabogal said. “I knew I wanted a small campus with a small teacher to student ratio. I stepped foot on campus and knew I had to go there.”
According to Global Academic Consultants, writing college essays can also be a time-consuming part of the application process, taking up 10-20 hours of the process. Nevertheless, writing essays early can give students more time to revise and reflect on personal experiences they may want to include in their applications. Some topics to write about include: cultural identity and background, lessons taken from obstacles and personal reflections, according to Harvard College.
“I come up with topics through living my life,” junior Eurie Kim said. “I notice things that I view as obstacles or have once viewed as obstacles and how I have overcome them.”
For many juniors, preparing for standardized tests is another part of the summer with some students spending months studying for the SAT or ACT, while others choose to retake the exams to improve their scores. Depending on their admissions, colleges set their own testing requirements. Since these policies vary by school, students have to decide whether taking exams is necessary.
“The most stressful thing so far has been my SAT, just because of the amount of studying,” junior Kayhan Zaher said. “I studied [for the SAT] by taking the practice tests repeatedly and going over missed questions and watching youtube videos [about] desmos.”
Many students also use the summer to strengthen their resumes through internships, volunteering, jobs or extracurricular activities. Activities completed during high school can be used in student’s applications, and may help colleges learn more about their interests outside of academics.
“I got an internship offered by the CCI and it’s about cybersecurity,” Zaher said. “It will help me with my college application process by showing I am able to handle advanced level work in the technology field and I am able to work at a large tech company.”
While most students have to wait until applications open in August, some student athletes may have already committed to colleges earlier through athletic recruitment. For these students, summer preparation can still involve attending practices.
“I don’t think I’m going to do a lot in regards to the application,” Sabogal said. “I think it’s important, especially if you’re committed to school, you have to have a good athletic performance the whole year.”
As juniors prepare for senior year, many students encourage others to stay organized and balance the process to avoid unnecessary stress. Other students plan to balance their summer so they can still have fun over the summer while preparing for college application season.
“I’m doing a lot of things to prepare for senior year; I scored a paid internship, I plan on pre-studying for some of my AP’s and getting my drivers license,” Zaher said. “I plan on having fun by going to the beach and hanging out with my cousins who are coming over from around the world for a family reunion. [I’ll] try and enjoy my last normal summer as a student.”
