Preparing Your College Application: A Senior-Year Checklist
Be the most prepared for college applications by researching schools, financial aid and application deadlines, all with the help of expert admissions counselors and compassionate faculty.
Oregon Private College Week is taking place July 29 - August 2, 2024! This free event gives you access to some of the Northwest’s most acclaimed private universities for exclusive tours and info sessions, including Pacific, and it’s free to attend.
Your senior year of high school is busy with schoolwork, time spent with friends and planning for your future.
And choosing if and where you are going to apply to college is a big part of that planning.
The college search and application process can feel overwhelming at times, especially during the bustle of your senior year, which makes having a plan in place essential.
From researching scholarships to chatting with admissions counselors to campus visits, starting your college search should be something that makes you excited to take that next step in turning your passions into purpose.
Preparing for college application deadlines and decisions during your senior year is easier than you might think. Let’s go through it together.
CONNECT WITH YOUR PERSONALIZED ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR
1. Start Researching Colleges that Excite You
There are many reasons to choose a college — cost, location, athletics — but most important of them all is whether or not the school offers programs and outcomes that can lead to the start of a rewarding career path.
Remember, you don’t have to apply to every college you find, so you can research colleges that engage with your passions, prioritize innovation, or just seem like they fit your wavelength.
But how do you find colleges like these to apply to? Here’s just a couple ways:
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Talk to your guidance counselor. Not only does your high school guidance counselor know about the college landscape, but they can help align your interests with specific programs that can help you start a lifelong career.
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Attend college fairs. A great way to speak to multiple college representatives at once, college fairs near you bring a wealth of information right to your school from across the country.
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Visit colleges in your city or state. You don’t need to have submitted an application to tour a college campus.
Whether visiting in person or virtually from the comfort of your couch, campus visits are an unrivaled way to talk to current students, admissions counselors, and start picturing yourself at certain schools.
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Attend virtual info sessions. Regularly taking place year-round, info sessions allow you to ask questions and learn more about everything from application deadlines to program prerequisites.
All of the above ways to research and find colleges to apply to are totally free, and you should never have to pay to tour a campus, chat with an admissions counselor or attend a college fair.
2. Apply for Financial Aid
Regardless of your college choice, you will need to explore financial aid options and research potential scholarships and other funding opportunities.
The first step of that research is completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
Necessary for everything from scholarships to federal work study placements, the FAFSA can be completed before you hear back on college decisions, and has been recently streamlined to take less time to complete.
In addition to exploring scholarships both nationally and at the universities that interest you, many regional organizations (Elks Lodge, Rotary, Kiwanis) award money for college to local students.
It is never too early to begin researching and applying for scholarships, since, at many institutions, the amount of merit or talent funds they can award is limited.
3. Reach Out to an Admissions Counselor
There specifically to answer your questions about the college experience, submitting applications, and putting you in touch with programs that fit your purpose, college admissions counselors are an invaluable resource.
Available year-round, admissions counselors are campus experts and know everything from the best lunch spots to which faculty are performing ground-breaking research.
Connecting with an admissions counselor either in-person or online can help you:
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Decipher admissions deadlines. With several time frames to apply, admissions counselors can help you choose which is right for you and what exactly you need to prepare.
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Discover new programs and faculty. While not academic advisors, admissions counselors can direct your passions toward programs and faculty that can help kickstart your career.
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Find campus hidden gems. Much of what makes a happy and successful college experience is finding your niche on campus.
Whether it’s a maker space, art gallery, or campus club, admissions counselors can help you discover where you can thrive.
4. Submit Your Application (It’s Easier Than You Think)
You’ve done the research, talked to the counselors and found the financial aid. It’s time to finally apply.
And you can do it all in one place.
The Common App has made submitting your application to multiple colleges at the same time as easy as drag and drop. Simply upload official transcripts, test scores, and anything else a college may need, all at once.
However, there’s still more you can do to help refine your college search while you wait for an admissions decision.
Talking to current students, especially those in degree pathways that interest you, is a great way to get a feel for what campus life is like, and admissions counselors can easily put you in touch with them.
A glimpse into a potential future, looking at the first-year student experience can take some of the guesswork out of transitioning to life on campus.
The most important thing you can do, though, is relax. The admissions process can feel mysterious at times, but there’s little you can do to speed it up once you’ve submitted your application.
So step back and congratulate yourself on taking that important first step in pursuing your purpose. You’ve earned it.
5. Visit Campus, Again (Yes, Really)
It may seem unnecessary to return to a college you’ve already toured, especially after you’ve submitted your application, but there are actually many benefits.
If a college is accessible for frequent visits, the deeper level of research you’ve done can open up new opportunities to discover what you’re interested in and how it’s represented on campus.
Dialed in to a prospective major? Ask to sit in on a class or talk with a faculty member. Getting more in touch with your cultural background? Campus clubs and institutes always welcome visitors.
As new things become important to you, it becomes essential to review the schools you’ve applied to with these priorities in mind so that you can begin to envision campus as a place you’ll grow and flourish.
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