少女福利

High school juniors, you鈥檝e made it: After an exhausting year-plus of virtual or hybrid learning, your summer has arrived. You鈥檝e earned the right to relax.

But some advice?

Do yourself a favor and carve out some time to lay the groundwork for your college application process in the fall. That way when things get busy again, you鈥檒l be ahead of schedule.

Here鈥檚 a checklist of things you can do in the summer months to save yourself some time鈥攁nd stress鈥攚hen crunch time hits in the fall.听

Visit your top-choice campuses.

If you haven鈥檛 already, put a campus visit (or three) on your calendar. Experiencing a college in person is the absolute best way to know if it feels right.

That said, the late stages of the COVID-19 pandemic might make this complicated, so here鈥檚 how to overcome some common challenges:

What if a campus isn鈥檛 hosting regular tours? Call the university鈥檚 admissions office to ask if they鈥檙e open to small-group tours by appointment. Failing that, ask if there鈥檚 a self-guided tour option. If the university isn鈥檛 allowing any visitors at all, look into on the admissions website.听

What if you or your family don鈥檛 feel comfortable traveling just yet? Collegiate Parent has some recommendations for . Ideas include signing up for any the institution may offer, searching for a student-produced virtual tour on , or asking the admissions office to for a chat via phone or Zoom.听

Review admission requirements for your target schools.

Every institution is just a little bit different in what information they ask you for, when they want to receive it, and how. Once you鈥檝e finished your visits and have a final list of universities to which you want to apply, review their admissions requirements (you can find Saint Michaels鈥� here) and create a checklist of what you鈥檒l need to provide. As you make your checklist, make note of important submission deadlines, add them to the calendar in your phone, and add alerts to ensure you don鈥檛 miss them.

Create your Common App account.

Although the is a big time-saver for applying to multiple institutions, it requires a lot of information 鈥� so get started early. You can create your account anytime over the summer, and review and what you鈥檒l need to complete it. The application doesn鈥檛 officially open until August, but you can begin working on a couple of key elements in advance to save you time later.听

One is the Activities Section; this is not merely a list but an opportunity to tell the story of what makes you a unique candidate for admission. Check out this advice for that鈥檒l turn heads.听聽

Start planning your application essays.

Whether you鈥檙e applying to an institution that uses the Common App or one that doesn鈥檛, chances are they鈥檒l be asking you for a personal statement or essay. Like the Activities Section, your essay is a prime chance to show your potential college how great you are. But it, too, requires preparation, so don鈥檛 leave this to the last minute.

Your junior-year summer is the perfect time to get started. Reach out to your guidance counselor or a former teacher for advice. Google can help, too: Type in 鈥渃ollege essay advice鈥� and you鈥檒l find a sea of resources and step-by-step guides aimed at .听

Organize your financial aid information.

Like the Common App, the (FAFSA) requires a lot of documentation. Use your time over the summer to start collecting the information you鈥檒l need鈥攚hich includes your family鈥檚 federal tax forms, bank statements, investment records, and more鈥攆or your FAFSA.听

This article provides an overview of , and it estimates you can fill out the entire FAFSA form in about a half hour if you have all your documents at the ready.

Search for additional scholarships.

Start with , which houses more than 1.5 million scholarships totaling $3.4 billion and highlights awards that match your interests and skills. Also look close to home: Many businesses, associations, and families provide scholarships to local students. Ask your guidance counselor for any information they may have or follow the advice U.S.News and World Report offers for .听

Finally, see what scholarships your target schools offer. Some institutions require separate applications, but others鈥�like St. Mike鈥檚鈥攎ake their financial decisions based solely on the information you submit via the FAFSA and Common App.听

Make your letter-of-recommendation requests.

If you鈥檙e waiting until September to ask your teachers, coaches, or bosses to write letters for you, you鈥檙e (almost) too late. These people may be getting the same request from one (or several) of your classmates, so get on your writers鈥� radar now.听

In early summer, determine how many letters you need and whom you鈥檇 like to write them. Reach out to those people as soon as possible, so you can select alternates if your top choices aren鈥檛 available. Toward the end of the summer, so they鈥檝e got all the information they need to sing your praises (and to send them on time).听聽聽聽聽

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Speaking of campus visits, we鈥檇 love to show you around St. Mike鈥檚 this summer. Come check out our campus and our beautiful hometown of Burlington.听

SCHEDULE YOUR VISIT NOW >