Prep Talk
Summer Checklist for Seniors
Posted June 14th, 2022
The summer before your senior year of high school is an imperative time to accomplish tasks so that you’re prepared for the busy school year ahead. In fact, it’s a great time to gain a head start so that once the school year comes, you won’t be overwhelmed with the college application process. Trust us, before you know it, you’ll be a graduating high school senior.
In order to ensure you’re on the right track, here’s a list of what you should be focused on during the summer months:
- Register for Summer College Tours:
We are excited to announce that our college tours are returning for summer 2022! Take a break from your summer activities to tour colleges with members of the College Counseling staff. This is a great opportunity to visit colleges with different characteristics in order to see what feels right for you! Space is limited!
Summer College Tour #1: Saint Joseph’s, Villanova, Cabrini| June 27th, 8 am-6 pm
Summer College Tour #2: University of Delaware and Widener University| July 13th, 9 am-7 pm
Click HERE to register. The price of each tour is $55 per student. Additional costs, including lunch and souvenirs, are the responsibility of the student.
Space is limited and will be first come first serve! Registration is complete only when payment is received. A medical consent form will be required.
2. Sign up for a Common Application and Essay Writing Workshop
As a way to get a jump start on the Common Application, which is accepted by most colleges (not all), these workshops will provide Common Application registration instructions as well as step-by-step assistance with completing a large majority of the application. Also, a key component of the college application is the essay. The essay writing portion of the workshop will zero in on the Common Application writing prompts and provide you with one-on-one feedback.
3. Prepare and register for an SAT or ACT
If you need to take a standardized test, be mindful of the upcoming SAT and ACT dates. These dates can be found on the testing agencies’ websites. Regardless of whether the colleges you’re applying to require a test score or not, your scores may help to strengthen your application! Make sure you prepare for your standardized test by using the following resources to study: Khan Academy, Kaplan Test Prep, College Board, and ACT.
4. Add activities, achievements & community service to profile on Scoir account (for resume)
Help finalizing your resume by adding all of your activities to your Scoir account including all of your participation, volunteer work, employment, clubs, and extracurricular activities.
5. Become familiar with common “college lingo”
Learn the language of college admissions lingo. It may seem like a different language with the FAFSA, 4 plus 1, and CORE speak but it does help to understand the key terms of college and the upcoming process.
6. Student-Athletes- Create NCAA Eligibility center account
College-bound student-athletes preparing to enroll in a Division I or Division II school need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center to ensure they conform with NCAA rules. The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies whether prospective college athletes are eligible to play sports at NCAA Division I or II institutions. It does this by reviewing the student-athlete’s academic record, SAT® or ACT scores, and amateur status.
7. Meet with your counselor to discuss your college list, review your resume, discuss college essay topics and review goals for the upcoming academic year!
High school graduation will happen sooner than you think; keep working on your college search by using Scoir to find colleges to follow and add to your potential colleges list. Use Scoir to keep your information all in one place. Look at the scattergrams for each college to compare data from previous Prep applicants. Do you know a college student that goes to a state university or college you’re searching for? Consider reaching out to ask them about their experience as a student and visit as many college campuses as you can!
Reach out to your counselor with any questions, we are here through the summer and we will navigate this sometimes overwhelming process with you!