For rising seniors, summer represents a time of exploration, relaxation, and, importantly, college planning. With application deadlines on the horizon, the summer months are an opportunity for seniors to map out their college application plan and gather and complete most of the application materials. Here's a comprehensive guide to navigating summer college planning for rising seniors:

1. Reflect and Set Goals: Take the time to reflect on your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and personal interests. What are your strengths, passions, and aspirations? Set clear goals for your college application process. Whether it's aiming for specific schools, pursuing certain academic programs, or securing scholarships, having defined objectives will help guide your efforts.

2. Research Colleges: Use this free time to truly research potential colleges and universities that align with your academic and personal preferences. Consider factors such as location, size, academic programs, campus culture, and financial aid offerings. Create a list of reach, target, and safety schools to ensure a balanced application strategy.

3. Visit Colleges (in person or virtually): While college campuses are a bit sleepy during the summer with most students on break, an in-person visit is still your best option to get to know the school if possible! Try to tie in some campus visits while mapping out your family summer vacation plans. For the colleges you are unable to physically visit, take advantage of online information sessions and virtual tours. Read my tips for remote campus visits here.

4. Finalize Standardized Testing Plans: Determine whether you need to take or retake standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT and/or English proficiency exams. Utilize the summer months to review test materials, enroll in test prep courses, or schedule exam dates. Remember that if you are applying Early Decision or Early Action, the October test date will be the latest possible for you to have your scores in time. Don’t wait until the last minute!

5. Write College Application Essays: The Common Application announced that their essay prompts for the 2024-25 application year will remain unchanged from the past year. This means you have plenty of time to brainstorm and write your best essay. Colleges which require additional essays may not confirm them until later in the summer, but once your college list is finalized, you should begin creating a list of what supplemental essays are needed and get started on them as soon as you can.

6. Explore Extracurricular Opportunities: Engage in meaningful summer activities that demonstrate your interests, leadership skills, and commitment. Whether it's volunteering, internships, research projects, or part-time employment, these experiences can enrich your college application and showcase your diverse talents. This is your last summer to explore your interests and add to your resume for college applications.

7. Review Financial Aid Options: Discuss the potential college costs and how you plan to pay for them with your family. Take a look at the net price calculators for some of your colleges to get a general idea of what the colleges on your list may cost. Familiarize yourself with the financial aid process and deadlines of your prospective colleges. Investigate scholarship opportunities and explore avenues for reducing the costs. Many independent scholarships are open for application over the summer, it is a great time to apply.

8. Stay Organized: Maintain a detailed calendar and checklist to track application deadlines, requirements, standardized test dates, and other important milestones. Break down tasks into manageable steps and allocate time each week to make progress.

By approaching summer college planning with clear goals and good organization and time management, rising seniors can prepare most of their college applications before senior year even begins. If you do need extra support, ACM College Consulting is ready to help you find colleges fit for YOU and kick off your applications. Limited space is available for rising seniors and the more time we have, the better - start now!