College 101: Start This Summer

Although most students would admittedly prefer to take the summer off from academics, summer offers the perfect opportunity to get a head start on college applications for rising seniors.

Even if students aren’t sure about what they want to study or which college or university they would like to attend, spending some time on two key components of the application – the college essay and a resume of activities – will help them to hit the ground running in September.

The college essay, an important part of the college application and something many students say they dread, requires a good deal of thought and self-reflection in order to be well-developed and meaningful. For most students, writing about themselves in a narrative essay of 250 - 500 words can be quite challenging.

Having the time to brainstorm on an essay topic or topics and then to write several drafts, without the pressure of competing school assignments and sports commitments, can allow them to craft carefully an essay of which they can be proud. Downloading the PDF version of the Common Application and reviewing the essay prompts is a good way to get started.

Creating a résumé or list of important high school activities is another productive summer exercise. Whether students choose to use the Common Application or to fill out individual school applications, they will most likely be asked to list the extracurricular activities that have been most significant to them over their high school experience.

Parents can help by working with their children to list and organize, in order of importance, all of their athletic, musical and artistic involvements, along with any clubs, community service, leadership and job experiences that they’ve undertaken during high school. Don’t forget to add any known commitments for the senior year. This will save significant amounts of time and energy when it comes to filling out the actual college application.  

Applying to college is stressful, and it competes with the normal pressures already felt during the senior year. Spending a modest amount of time this summer on their college application will help students to feel more organized and in control of the process and help to set the tone for a satisfying and productive senior year.