Senior Year: Finale

Four years have passed in the blink of an eye. It feels like just yesterday you were a freshman in a school with unfamiliar hallways, and now it’s time to plan out your future! This may seem daunting, but don’t be stressed! It will definitely go smoothly if you follow these guidelines.

Jun-Aug: 

• Brainstorm on potential colleges and applications.

  • Think about the colleges you think you may want to attend and when you want to apply to them.

  • Know what each application type implies - early decision (ED) is an early binding application, early action (EA) is an early non-binding application, and regular decision (RD) is a non-binding later application.

  • Binding means that if you choose to apply to that college and get in, you are fully committed to that college and can’t choose another school (apart from some financial cases) 

  • Brainstorm essay topic ideas, and try to think through the extracurriculars and activities that you’ve been involved in over the past years!

Aug-Oct:

• Plan out your college application plan early.

  • Common App (the website where you will be submitting your applications) can be tricky to navigate, and it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed. Refer to our guiding article on the application process, and you will be ready to go!

  • If you haven’t already, talk to your counselor about which schools can be classified as safeties, targets, and reaches, and form a concrete plan about the colleges you’re planning to apply to. 

  • Try to be open minded about application possibilities- even if you have a dream school in mind, there are so many places that could be right for you! 

• Ask for teacher recommendations.

  • Try to ask the teachers you want recommendations from early in the year, so that they have time to think through the essay they write for you and you don’t have to stress about it later on.

  • Create a brag sheet to give to your selected teachers- this would entail creating a detailed description of the activities and experiences you’ve had over the years, as well as your involvement in their class, and giving it to them to consider while writing your essay. Don’t be afraid to show off- that’s exactly what this is for!

• Start writing your essays!

  • Get a head start on essay writing and try to start close to the beginning of the year so that it doesn’t get stressful later- primarily for EA and ED applications.

  • Ask your current or previous English teacher if they would be willing to edit your essay with you. 

  • Don’t be afraid to ask your teachers and counselors for help if you want it! College essay writing is a difficult task, so use the help of the resources and people around you to navigate it. 

• Create your extracurriculars list

  • The Common App has ten open spots for filling out your extracurriculars, so try to fill out all of them 

  • Think of everything impactful/important you’ve done through your four years of high school, even if they aren’t typical. Hobbies, caretaking, and jobs all definitely count as extracurriculars!

  • Try to quantify your impact and remember to cut to the chase. There is a character limit, so choose your words wisely and show real statistics to back up your claims.

Nov-Dec: 

• Submit ED and EA applications.

  • November, most often the 1st, is the time to submit the early applications you’ve been writing. Finalize your application a couple of weeks before, and make sure to submit by the deadline.

• Evaluate ED and EA decisions.

  • Following the selection news of the early admissions, re-evaluate your plans for the RD applications and the official list of colleges you want to apply to.

  • By this point you have hopefully started working on RD essays (if not, don’t fret- start now!), so take this into consideration when planning the path ahead.

• Write RD essays.

  • Now that you know your plan going forward, start/continue writing the essays you need for the RD schools you’re applying to.

  • Once again, if you want to ask your English teacher or your counselor for help or advice on the essay, go for it! It’s important to be confident in the pieces that you write.

Jan-Feb:

• Submit RD essays.

  • The regular essays are typically due sometime in the month of January. Make sure you know when the deadline is for each college.

  • Revise your applications and make sure you feel as secure as possible in your work!

• Keep working hard!

  • Although essay time has taken up a considerable amount of time, it’s important not to neglect your studies, especially since they do end up getting sent to colleges.

  • It can be easy to feel a little less motivated nearing this part of the year, but try to maintain a GPA that you would normally be satisfied with.

  • Remember not to check out on your extracurriculars, because this will especially become important if you get waitlisted from a school and need to show further involvement. 

Mar-May:

• Finalize your future plans!

  • After receiving your RD application results, evaluate your options going forward.

  • Make sure to consider all factors of each potential college, and decide which one is for you accordingly.

• Make the most of your remaining time in high school.

  • The application process is over- make sure to have fun!

  • Spend lots of time with your friends and your family nearing the end of the school year- relax and give yourself a break!

You’ve done it, you’ve reached the end- get excited! The future may seem scary, but the world is full of endless possibilities now. Good luck!