Summer College Planning
A Guide for Rising Seniors
Most rising seniors have a lot on their to-do lists in order to prepare for the college application process this fall. Students who get a jumpstart on the process before school is back in session are often at a major advantage because they’re able to make the most of senior year and keep stress at bay.
Summer break is the perfect time to do a lot of the groundwork for your college admissions journey!
Creating a Checklist
A big key to success during the college application process is organization, and creating a checklist to keep track of what is and isn't completed can be helpful.
Buiding Your College List
The first thing you need to do when building your college list is to get to know yourself and what you want in a college. When considering your preferences, be honest about what is important to you. You want a college that’s the right fit for you. Start by putting together a list of wants and must-haves.
Location
Major
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
Student population size
Other things you want or need
The goal of researching colleges is finding ones that are both a good match and fit for the student academically, socially, emotionally, and for the family, financially. Here are a few websites to assist with your college research:
College Tours and Visits
Get a feel for student life and see if this college is a place where you will do well:
Take a campus tour.
Talk to current students about life on campus and the college.
Check out the freshmen dorms and stay overnight with a student, if possible.
Visit the dining hall, fitness center, library, career center, bookstore and other campus facilities.
Talk to the coaches of sports that you may want to play.
Walk or drive around the community surrounding the campus.
Questions to Ask on a College Visit
Guide to Planning Your Campus Visit
Unable to attend an in-person visit? Check out these virtual college tour websites!
Experience 1000+ colleges & universities in virtual reality. Narrow your college choices with the best virtual experiences of schools worldwide.
CampusTours provides virtual tours of 1700+ colleges and universities and builds virtual tours and interactive maps for schools and organizations worldwide.
Virtual tours of over 1300 colleges.
The College Essay
The essay portion of your college application helps an admissions department get to know you better. Prospective schools are interested in your goals and expectations, what you can bring to the college, and how you see the world around you. An essay also demonstrates your writing ability, a key skill for college success.
Here are a few articles to help you get started:
Tips for a Great College Essay!
College Placement Testing
College Placement Exams are tests that measure the academic skill level of students. Many colleges require placement tests, while other schools are test optional. Here is a list of colleges that are test optional.
Brief overview of College Placement Testing
SAT Studying and Practice tests
Resume Building
A resume is a brief snapshot of a student's high school achievements, interests, work experience, community service, and leadership skills .What should go on a resume?
Any of the sections below could appear on your resume for college applications. Pick an assortment that works for you!
Heading with your name, address, and e-mail
High school information with your graduation date, GPA (weighted), class rank, and SAT/ACT scores.
Academic awards, publications, honors, and other achievements
Coursework (summer programs, college courses, or other specialized workshops that do not appear on your high school transcript)
Extracurricular Activities
Community service
Work experience
Hobbies
Special skills (e.g. foreign language fluency or HTML expertise)
The Common Application
The Common Application is a single online college application form used by over 900 colleges and universities. Instead of filling out the same general information—like your address, GPA, and extracurriculars— a dozen times, you only have to do it once. The Common App dashboard also helps you track necessary application documents (like your letters of recommendation) and important deadlines. The Common App goes live every year on August 1.
Check out these helpful links:
Google Slide presentation on the Common App
Learn About Financial Aid Requirements
Governor Murphy signed a bill that requires the Class of 2025 students to complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or N.J. Alternative Financial Aid Application to graduate high school. HTSD will host multiple Financial Aid presentations this fall. The anticipated date for the FAFSA opening is October 1st.
There are several types of financial aid, including grants, scholarships, work-study and federal or private student loans. Families can research the financial aid application requirements and deadlines for the schools of interest to a prospective student. For example, some schools ask for a form called the CSS Profile, or College Scholarship Service Profile, in addition to the FAFSA.