The Summer Before Senior Year

Hi everyone. I hope everyone’s summer is going well. I was hoping to get some advice on what needs to get done before senior year of high school begins. I feel like in terms of applying to colleges there is so much work that needs to be done and I don’t know where to start! I have already created a commonapp account and filled out all the easy questions like my name, parents education, ss #, etc. I also created the necessary accounts for schools that do not accept common app. I haven’t written my essay yet and I am taking the ACT in September and October. I have a list of 11 schools and I am hoping to get that down to eight but I’m not sure how to just cut three schools from the list. I have four safety’s, four matches, and three reaches. Is there anything else that I should be doing before senior year starts? I want to try and make this process as stress free as possible? Thank you all!

Before school starts: Create a resume of all your activities, accomplishments, grades, test scores etc. so that once school starts you can bring your resume over to the teachers and ask them for letter of recommendations.

Obviously, start on the essays (probably brainstorm for now) as the early deadline (if you’re applying early) is November 1 which is not that far away.

Start filling out the applications for other schools (basic info like bio etc.)

Just get as much done as you can, especially for the essays as once school starts, there’s so much to do with essays, testing, schoolwork, activities etc. all piling up on you.

Cut out three of the safeties - if they’re true safeties (you’re guaranteed to get in) you should be OK with just one.

bump

Without test scores, no telling which are safeties.