Senior Year Planning for the College-Bound Student

Parents planning for their high school teenager to go off to college can often get behind the eight ball so to speak. This is a great article to help you prepare, or know where your preparation level is at, if your child is entering their senior year of high school.

Read full article here: SeniorYear Planning for the College-Bound Student

The first half of senior year is the last chance to put up a good score on one (or both) of the standardized tests.

Although some of the college admission process has already taken place, including a student’s first try at the SAT/ACT, senior year is really where the rubber meets the road. Going into this pivotal year with the right plan can make the difference in college placement or even whether a student moves on to post-secondary education at all.

Here are the things to focus on as the school year begins.

Extracurriculars

Although it’s too late to make a real impression with extracurriculars, even attempting a late effort is better than nothing. Students can join some groups that diverge from what they’ve taken part in before to show some versatility. At minimum, a student should be willing to stand up for leadership positions in their existing groups during senior year.

Planning the list

Now is the time to narrow down the list of potential colleges, organize the materials needed for those schools, and, if possible, sign up for tours. Focusing on a few schools now makes the process easier. Students can then start working on their essays and finding the right people for recommendation letters. If there is a clear first choice, early decisions periods start in September-October.

Essays

Once the choices have been narrowed down, so have the essay prompts. Starting drafts now offers many advantages:

More free time during the summer to focus

More time to revise

More people can be brought in to help review

Testing

The first half of senior year is the last chance to put up a good score on one (or both) of the standardized tests. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a sub-standard performance has doomed your child to a lesser school. If you think they are capable of better, they should give it another try. Registration for those early testing dates begins in the summer. They should also make sure that any testing results are going to be sent to that newly-culled college list.

Financial aid

The financial aid process also starts earlier than many families think, especially if that support is coming from any government agency. Those sources and their processes need to be organized and started as soon as possible.

Senior year moves fast, so it’s prudent to use this last part of summer to make sure this final bit of college preparation time is used efficiently.

Give us a call at Athena Learning Center of College Station if you have any questions or just want to discuss “What’s next?” (979) 314-9132 or find us here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z-DfWj-XeCMI.kDXNaka2XDmA

Check out our older post to see if your child can benefit from tutoring here: http://bvdigitalinc.blogspot.com/2015/08/three-signs-teen-needs-tutoring.html