What Should My Rising Senior be Doing This Summer?
By Ivy Brewer - Faculty
Have your child research prospective colleges by going to their Naviance pages, visiting their Web sites, requesting printed materials from the colleges themselves, looking over the colleges’ catalogs in Darlington's McCallie-Kennedy Library, talking to current students and alumni about their impressions, and/or visiting the college in person. Visits are the BEST research and probably the most important part of the entire college process!
Your student should narrow down his or her list of colleges to about six schools to which he or she plans to apply. Remember to choose schools that represent the Reach, Resonable and LIkely admission categories. Using the graphs on Naviance can help determine the student’s chances.
He or she should begin working on an essay. It doesn’t have to be perfect at this point, but your student should have a draft ready for a member of the College Guidance Office and/or the English Department to review upon return to school in the fall.
Print all of the applications that your child plans to complete and begin working on draft copies. Go ahead and complete one application. Any one will do, but the Common Application may be the best choice for students who will apply to schools with lengthier applications. Much of the application is a data-gathering process. Once your student has completed one, he or she has pretty much done them all!
Your child should also remember to update his or her resumé on Naviance to include any awards or leadership positions won. Students who follow our summer advice are those who are the least stressed come fall!
