14 Things Students Should Do Before The Semester Ends
Make sure your students do this before the end of the semester. Some are reminders specifically for Juniors to make their Senior year and college applications a bit easier, but truthfully, items 1-5 apply to sophomores too and will decrease your stress and increase your options as you start your college applications as well.
Review your transcripts BEFORE the end of the year to catch any mistakes. Make sure that grades are recorded correctly and that classes are correctly noted (honors, AP, IB, etc.) so they reflect the rigor of your coursework. If you find errors fix them now.
Photograph your work. Many times students forget to photograph their work, assuming it will be there when school starts in the fall. Don't rely on this, photograph it now and if you can bring it home. This holds for performing arts students as well, document and photograph work you do on spring performances, schools will want this for your creative portfolios.
Register now for any SAT/ACT exams you think you might want to take. BOTH tests super score and test prep experts say three is the magic number for achieving your best scores. There are many free test prep apps to be had, some even text you a test question a day, an easy way to practice. You can check the test status of a school at Fairtest and Big Futures. Notably Georgia and Florida state schools require tests, California public colleges do not. Anecdotally, for the past few years, for selective schools students who submitted strong scores improved their acceptances and merit aid. So, while schools do a holistic read of applications, good scores are worth submitting.
Keep your grades up, if you're a Junior this could be the last full semester your colleges see, especially if you intend to apply early decision or early action which are due before first semester is over in the fall. If there's extra credit to be had to increase your grades find out about it and get it done. Also, participate in class and go to office hours. You still have time to make this semester's grades as good as they can be.
Plan your summer college tours. Granted planning college trips require the skills of a master Tetris player to orchestrate but taking the time to make these plans pays off. If you are a creative student make sure to request a tour of the art facilities you're interested in, too often they are omitted from the general tour unless specifically requested. Start planning them now to reduce your frustration.
Juniors, ask for teacher recommendations BEFORE the end of the year. We gave pointers on securing great teacher recommendations recently and in this blog post.
Review the personal statement prompts. It has already been announced that the Common Application prompts are the same as Fall 2024, and it is possible that the University of California personal insight questions will not change from last year either. Read the prompts and start brainstorming your essays. It often takes responding to two or three prompts before the essay solidifies, give yourself that time.
Research supplemental essays. It's possible that they won't change from last year and you can search for past supplemental prompts from many schools, but ALWAYS check the prompts in August to be sure. In recent years many schools have changed their prompts year to year.
Research creative portfolio and audition requirements. Like supplemental essays, they probably won't change much, make a list of the supplemental requirements for any schools to which you are likely to apply and start thinking about how you will respond, BUT check the requirements when they're released in August.
Research scholarship dates. These are often earlier than application dates and are posted on college websites. If you intend to apply for school based scholarships know the requirements and the due dates.
Start a calendar to record due dates and start entering them now. This includes application dates, test dates, scholarship dates, audition dates, etc. Using a calendar is an important executive function skill that will lead to success in college as well.
Start checking your emails regularly. Many schools will determine demonstrated interest by looking to see if you open their emails AND if you click links or watch videos. If you love a school show them. It sounds like a big spy network, but yes they can tell, yes, they do look, and most importantly yes, they do care!
Follow schools on social media. This is another great way to show demonstrated interest AND it is also a great way to learn about the culture and academics of a school which is fantastic when you are writing their supplemental essays.
Families, schedule when and where you can discuss colleges. Know your student, some are happy to talk about college a lot, many aren't. If they're the latter agree on a time/place to discuss colleges and ONLY do it then/there, this makes for much better family peace and harmony.
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