Fall College Planning Tips for High School Seniors

In the fall of your senior year in high school, it is a good time to start putting your short and long term goals for going to college into place. A good basic plan is as follows:

Fall Term of High School Senior Year

* Make a list of potential colleges and school, a max of 8 and a minimum of 5

* Discuss your choices with parents and the high school guidance counselor

* Obtain applications forms for each college on the list and inquire about scholarships and financial aid; review all requirements because some of them may take some time to obtain and/or complete

* Narrow down the list of colleges to between 3 and 5

* Request letters of recommendation from pertinent individuals; these can be from neighbors, employers, teachers, the guidance counselor, and sports coaches

* Start working on application essays early so you can ask teachers to review them

* Make sure all student aid and scholarship applications are submitted by their due dates

Important Considerations

Because most college applications require an application fee, it is important to have the most accurate list possible as applying to numerous schools you may not even be interested in attending can be costly.

Universities and colleges have scholarships offered specific to them and will require individual applications. You can view most of these online. Your high school guidance counselor can also advise you of other scholarships that are not specific to a school but are local scholarships offered only in your area.

If you are planning to apply for early college admission, many schools will need your SAT/ACT scores as early as November. You must research to find out testing dates in your area and register in advance. Allow sufficient time for test results to be calculated and delivered; this usually involves weeks so don't wait until the last minute.

Your senior year will pass quickly so it is important to start early in your preparations for the many tasks that must be completed in order for you to enter college after you graduate. Don't wait until the last minute; start getting organized early.

Avoiding the Senior Slump: Staying Motivated in Your Final Year

After all the hard work of Junior Year, and with all the distractions of enjoying the final year of high school, Senior Year students often find themselves sliding a bit, resulting in the Senior Year slump – with dropping grades and a lack of enthusiasm for life after high school. Here are three tips for rising Seniors to keep on track and stay motivated.

Take the Long View

It can be hard to see beyond the life at high school and imagine what your college life will be like, let alone life after formal education. Take a few minutes to visualize what you’d like your long term life to be, how you would like to live, what career you’d like to succeed in, and what goals you’d like to accomplish, whether they be as simple as trying skydiving or as complex as owning your own business. Being able to see what your longer term goals are can help you place in context all the work you’re doing right now, and enjoy each step you complete.

Keep Your Balance

High school Seniors often find it difficult to find a good work/life balance, swinging to one or the other extreme by studying too hard or socializing too much. Finding a balance with study time and achieving academic goals and also spending time with friends and activities you like is important to keep your motivation high and avoid burnout. Further, learning how to maintain this balance in high school puts you one step ahead in college, when the pressure for studying and the increase in distractions can make it even more difficult.

Celebrate Small Successes

With the looming goal ahead of you of getting into your ideal college, it can be easy to forget celebrating small successes as you strive for the future big success. However, constantly deferring celebration can be demotivating and you may feel as though you’re not really making progress in your Senior year. Take time to reward yourself for getting great grades on tests, winning events in your extracurricular activities, or even simply hitting timelines as you complete your college application process, to stay motivated.

Four Study Goals for High School Seniors

It’s back to school season! As you get ready for your final year of high school, you’ve being stretched in multiple directions – pushing your academic progress to the max to prove that you’re an excellent candidate for your ideal college, but still enjoy the last few months of high school life.

With so much going on, it’s important to set a few goals for yourself, which, when achieved, will help you as you go into college as well.

Get Ready to Read

In college, you will be reading not only more than you did in high school, but also facing more difficult and various resources. Learning to read and absorb material quickly can help you shorten the amount of time you have to spend studying, as well as help you develop more focused and critical reading skills. Consider taking a speed reading course, if necessary.

Learn to Love the Library

In college, you will be expected to do more studying and more research than ever before. Get into the habit of working in the quiet, concentrated environment of a library, and learn to use the research and organization systems of modern libraries.

Brush Up On Your Note Taking Skills

Lectures in college often happen at break-neck speed, with professors delivering material quickly and exploring new concepts in rapid discussion. Be prepared by learning to write quickly and develop shorthand terms that will help you take notes at a fast pace without sacrificing comprehension.

Get Technical

Gone are the days of submitting hand-written assignments, papers and reports. Your professors will expect you to submit all work in properly formatted and annotated form, often submitting digital files. Learning common word processing software such as Microsoft Word and data analysis/graphing software such as Microsoft Excel will ensure that you’re able to turn in well-presented work without stress.

Senior Year Prep and Planning

Early in the senior year of high school, students become anxious when they hear their peers mention that they've been accepted to a particular college or university. Those who have not considered or given much thought to education after high school begin to wonder if they will or won't go to college, and where they will go if they do.

Hopefully, the majority of students have already thought about this prior to their senior year of high school and their parents have played a role in the decision making process. Time easily slips away, however, and graduation day will arrive very quickly.

Planning Tips for College Bound Seniors
1) It is advised to start taking the SAT and/or ACT early in the high school years in order to pin down the best score. If your child is a college bound senior and has not taken either of these college entrance tests, schedule them ASAP. Allow sufficient time to obtain study materials so your child can properly prepare for the exams.

Colleges are not going to accept a student until all admissions requirements are met. This means if your senior does not have an acceptable SAT/ACT score on file at the school, he/she cannot be admitted. Keep in mind that even after a testing date, scores can take weeks or more to be processed and released to the designated schools.

2) Narrow down college choices to three or four. Inquire regarding admissions requirements, including SAT/ACT score minimums and GPA requirements. Most colleges and universities offer this information online for your convenience.

3) Schedule campus visits to the schools you and your senior are most seriously considering. It is essential that both parents and students are happy with the campus. A student forced to attend a school he/she doesn't like creates animosity and possibly even ends in the student dropping out.

4) On each campus visit, check out the dining options, dormitory living areas, and anything else the administration offers on a tour. Allow time also to explore the surrounding community if the school is in a city different from your hometown.

5) It is important to know what a student is seeking or expecting of a university. Remember that while parental guidance and input is important, you as parents are not the ones attending. Some students are interested in Greek life; others may want to attend a private small campus rather than a large university. Another consideration is finding a college that offers a degree in the desired course of study.

6) An application fee is most always charged by each college applied to, so make choices wisely regarding which schools you are seriously considering.

7) Most college bound seniors begin the application process early in their senior year. Many colleges consider the spring of the senior year a "cut-off" for isolating a school.