The last few weeks we looked at things to do leading up to the all important Senior Year. Last week, we talked about the importance of making a decision and some of the many things that go into that decision. This week we are going to look at the practical things that need to be done in your Senior Year.
Most importantly, it goes without saying, is you have to complete your applications! Many schools now use the Common Application, so if you complete it for one school, you can use the same application for multiple schools. It is a great idea to start these applications EARLY! Even before your Senior Year, so that you are not stressed about completing these during your Senior Year. If an essay is required, get that done as soon as possible because for most students that is usually the hardest part and takes the most time and effort.
Make sure that you know the application deadlines! If you are applying either Early Decision or Early Action make sure you know what those dates are for each school.
Financial Aid is another important consideration. Make sure that you (or your parents) get the FASFA forms completed as early as possible. Many high schools will have assistance for families that need help in preparing those. Again, make sure that you are meeting required deadlines.
Deposit
Once you have made a decision, make sure that you know what you need to do to accept the offer from a school. Do you sign their acceptance letter? Do you need to make a deposit? What is required? As with everything else, what is the deadline for that—need to know it!
If you are living on campus your freshman year, did you apply for housing? When was that due? Do you need to put down a deposit to reserve your housing? Are there other related forms that you need to complete for housing?
Some other general things that you may need to do— Medical forms- schools will want your medical history to make sure that you have had vaccinations as well as your general medical history. For some, those forms take time to fill out and can be a pain! Placement tests- your school of choice may require you to take a placement test for Math or English placement. It may be something you want to prepare for but at the very least, you need to know the dates for those too!
Last but not least— when is move in day!!! That one is pretty self explanatory. If you are playing soccer, you will be likely moving in sometime in August. So you have to plan your family vacation, summer job and any other summer plans around that.
The bottom line is this— there are lot of different things that you need to get your Senior Year from applications to moving in to your new college. Make a list of those things that you need to get done for your school (or schools) of choice and include when things need to be done. It will help you along the way!
Thanks for reading! Questions? Comments? Things you would like to see discussed? Drop us a line at d3recruitinghub@gmail.com.
