A mom’s guide to surviving senior year in High Point, NC and beyond

Fall

1. List schools your student is interested in. Help your senior hone in on where she wants to apply. We made a list of what each of our children wanted in a school. Think about size, activities available, athletic opportunities, Greek life, geographical location, cost, etc. Don’t discount private or out of state schools if your student wants to spread their wings beyond what you think your budget can handle. Many out of state schools offer merit scholarships, and many private schools have some pretty hefty endowments allowing for scholarship opportunities. Most of this information can be found on the schools’ websites.
2.  Work on your applications.  That common ap essay many not be the only one your student needs to write. Many schools have multiple additional essays that need to be included with the application to that specific school. Some of these aren’t long (250 words or so) but that can be thought intensive. Some can be reused for multiple schools with a few wording tweaks, but just be aware these can be time consuming to complete!
3.  Apply to those colleges. Apply early if you can! Remember that saying the early bird gets the worm? It very much applies to college applications. There is more opportunity for scholarship money with early application dates. For many colleges, those dates are mid-early November. If a school offers “early action” there is no penalty to applying to as many early as you can. Schools with “early decision” do have penalties if you choose not to attend that school. Many private schools offer “early decision.” You must be confident your student wants to attend that school and it is in your budget regardless of what how much or how little scholarship is offered.
4.  Investigate and apply for scholarships There are lots of scholarships out there. Have your student check with their high school counselors for a starting list. Many counselors have resources to direct students to applicable scholarships.
5.  Check email on the regular! Some of those schools you apply early action to will have rolling admissions. Most of the school’s announcement windows are listed on its website. Some of those announcements can arrive in your inbox as little as two weeks after you apply. Additionally, scholarship information or anything that your application ay be missing is noted through the school’s email.
6.  Get recommendation letters. Colleges want recommendation letters. Don’t wait until the last minute for these. Seek out coaches, teachers, etc. and do it early so they have ample time to write a glorious words!
7.  Fill out the FASFA. WARNING: This may result in lots of cuss words and the desire to throw the computer out the window. Be patient. The FASFA is long and not fun. But it is a necessary evil when applying to colleges. Additionally, if your student is applying to a private institution, the CSS  may also need to be completed. The CSS is also not fun, and, in my opinion, takes a lot more time than the FASFA.