The Ultimate Senior Year College Application Checklist
When it comes to college planning, it may seem like there are a gazillion things happening at the same time, but being prepared and taking early action is key to keeping stress levels under control. With so many things going on, timing is essential when it comes to applying for college. You don’t want to miss important deadlines or miss out on valuable opportunities. With our Ultimate Senior Year Checklist, I hope it will create some breathing room (and sanity!) for you.
Things to Do Before Senior Year
Reach out and schedule an appointment with your school counselor. Make sure you are on-track to graduate and fulfill college admission requirements. If possible, share your thoughts on potential majors and ask for resources.
Start creating a tentative list of colleges you want to attend. Collect information about those colleges through research and virtual college fairs.
Start creating your activities list, including but not limited to clubs, community engagement, family responsibilities, hobbies, sport, work, volunteering, and any experiences that have been meaningful to you.
Create a list and calendar to keep track of college application due dates, college supplemental essays, and standardized test dates.
Start brainstorming, outlining, and writing your personal statement and supplemental essays.
Prep and register for the SAT/ACT and TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo if you haven’t already done so.
College Checklist for Fall of Senior Year
Narrow down and finalize your college list to about 10~15 by using all the information you’ve gathered from research. Evaluate whether it makes sense to apply Early Decision or Early Action to your top choice colleges.
Start writing the final draft of your activities list, and if time permits, spend some time to uplevel your activity descriptions.
Finalize your personal statement and supplemental essays. Many schools will require that you submit at least one essay with your application. Show them to your teachers, mentors, and advisors for feedback and give yourself ample time for revisions.
Request at least 2~3 recommendations from your core subject teachers and follow-up with your personal information sheet, activities list, personal statement, and college list.
Schedule an appointment with your school counselor to share your college list, activities list, personal statement, and recommendation requests. Request a copy of your most recent transcript and follow your school’s procedure for sending transcripts.
Maintain good grades and stay actively involved in your extracurriculars.
Consider taking the SAT/ACT and TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo again to improve scores. Make sure testing companies have sent your scores directly to the colleges to which you are applying.
Complete applications at least a couple of weeks before the deadline. Double-check and make sure that colleges have received all required materials.
College Checklist for Winter of Senior Year
Check-in on the status of your college applications and find out if the colleges need any additional information. Some colleges may schedule interviews for prospective candidates.
Keep an eye out for notifications from your Early Decision and/or Early Action colleges. Admission decisions usually go out by December or January. Remember to withdraw from other colleges if you are offered admission to your Early Decision college choice.
Complete any remaining college applications as necessary.
Remember to keep working hard to get good grades and stay committed to your extracurriculars. Colleges still care about your second-semester grades.
College Checklist for Spring of Senior Year
Make sure you are getting good grades and preparing for your finals and AP tests. Finishing high school strong will show colleges that you are not slacking off.
Regularly check your inbox to see if there are notifications from colleges. Admission decisions go out by March or April.
Meet with your parents to talk about college finances, and if applicable, financial aid options.
Choose a college if you’re accepted to more than one college, send in your deposit, and let all of the colleges know your decision by May 1st.
Write a letter of interest to the college’s admissions team to strengthen your case if you’re waitlisted for college admission.
Write thank you letters to your school counselor and recommenders. Feel free to share which college you’ve decided to attend.
Complete all of the enrollment paperwork for your chosen college, including housing arrangements, I-20 forms, and freshman orientation sessions.
Apply for your F-1 visa with the American Institute in Taiwan as soon as you’ve received your I-20 forms from your chosen college.
Ask your school counselor to send your final transcript to your chosen college to maintain admission status.
College Checklist for Summer After Senior Year
Look out for college admissions notifications if they haven’t arrived yet.
Begin shopping for things you’ll need in college, including books, supplies, dorm essentials, tech products, clothes, among others.
Make sure you attend the freshman orientation at your college to get to know the campus and your fellow students before school starts.
Move into your student accommodation and meet your new roommate(s).
Review your course options and schedule your classes with your college advisor.
It’s evident that you will be spending a large part of your senior year applying to colleges. If you need advice on building your perfect college list, upgrading your activities list, and writing your essays, click on the links and read away.
If you are looking for one-on-one support to help increase your chances of getting accepted to your preferred college, get in touch with us and we’ll get you set up!