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Plan for College: Summer Between Junior and Senior Year

  • Consider concurrent enrollment to earn college credit.

  • Add any new report cards, test scores, honors or awards to your file.

  • Use the summer to tour college campuses. Have questions prepared in advance and take notes on your visits. Call ahead for appointments with the financial aid, admissions and academic advisors at the college(s) in which you are most interested. During your visits, talk to professors, sit in on classes, spend a night in the dorms and speak to students about the college(s). Doing these things will allow you to gather the most information about the college(s) and the atmosphere in which you would be living, should you choose to attend. Some colleges have preview programs that allow you to do all of these; find out if any of your colleges offer these programs and take advantage of them if they do.

  • Remember to send thank-you notes after every college visit.

  • You may want to take the SAT and the ACT tests again. Taking the exams more than once can sometimes be beneficial. The second time you take an exam you are usually more comfortable. Being more relaxed during the exams can lead to higher scores.

  • Practice completing online applications by filling out rough drafts without submitting them. Focus on the essay portions of these applications and decide how you would like to present yourself. Don't forget to mention your activities outside of school.

  • Review your applications, especially the essays. Ask family, friends and teachers to review your essays for grammar, punctuation, readability and content.

  • Research financial aid options and deadlines for applying.

  • If you have a clear "first choice" college, decide if you are going to apply for early decision or early action. Be aware that if you are accepted for early decision, you are likely committing yourself to attend that school.

  • Explore careers by taking a summer job or internship in your field of interest.

  • Keep saving for college.

  • Read your college mail and send reply cards to your schools of interest.