Rising Senior Athlete, Are you ready for college?
Rising Senior Athlete, Are you ready for college?
ATTENTION MOMS of a rising high school senior! If your child is college bound, be sure to share the following with them. It is crucial to start your college applications and essays right now!
There is so much to do right now this summer!! Share this with them or print it out and stick it on the refrigerator, but be sure they get started on these important aspects. As moms, go to the website provided below and make note of all the critical dates when essays and forms need to be completed. Once past certain deadlines, there is no leeway.
If you are a rising high school senior, (a student who just finished being a junior) your 4th of July celebrations are over. Now that the fireworks are over and all the hot dogs and apple pie have been consumed, hit the laptop and get to work on your college applications and essays.
This is the time to start figuring out which college is best for you. Whether you are an athlete, drama cast, or musician/artist, it is important to start filling out the applications and looking at visual tours of the universities and colleges that interest you. Go online and submit your preferences on the type of college you want to attend based on demographics, population, drama or art facility, or Division I, II, or III of collegiate athletics. There are many on line, but www.collegeboard.org is one of the best places to start. 
By putting in the characteristics of what you want in a college, it can provide you with the requirements for submissions. There are areas such as whether they take your SAT or ACT score, the essay topic, their due dates for early action or regular submission and much more. You should consider how large of a population you want your future college to be as well as its location. If you don’t mind snow and cold weather as part of your experience, look into schools on the east coast. Remember, if you are from an area such as CA, the colleges, mainly UCs, only accept certain percentage of CA students. The rest will be selected from out-of-state. Note that some people begin looking after finishing their sophomore year in high school. That is fine, but know that the essay topics change every year for each college/university.
Furthermore, this website will also let you know which colleges will likely accept YOU. By putting in your GPA, sports skills, residence, theater abilities, community service, and outside hobbies, you will find out which universities and colleges will be likely to accept you before you begin their application and essays. This helps avoid wasting your time on schools that will most likely not accept you.
Once you have a list of about 8-10 schools that will accept you based on your grades, sports, arts, and outside experiences, now it’s time to schedule time every day to write the essays. There is the Common Application that all schools want to see, which might be the first essay to begin. Yes, as you read the different topics for each school, you will see that you can borrow paragraphs here and there from other essays you have been writing. Be sure to stick to the topics and use only paragraphs that give a full and complete answer. Using the same essay to try to get it to fit another’s topics is frowned upon.
As you begin to schedule the writing of these essays, you will see that there is not much time left for a lot of summer fun. This process is important, but so is your sanity. Be sure to schedule some pool or beach time with friends, but remember there will not be a lot of time at the beginning of senior year. There are many senior events and if you are an athlete, all your down time is consumed with staying on top of your studies. Keep in mind that universities and colleges look at your senior year grades as well. They want to offer scholarships to those who will consistently make good grades, so be sure your grades aren’t forfeited because you’re bogged down with college essays at the beginning of your senior year.
Now that you are totally excited and have a bit of knowledge with some research of schools, start thinking about scheduling time to put together video clips of your sport, drama plays, and debates you have. Prepare the best selections and send those out to the athletic or theater directors of the schools you are most interested.
When put in the right hands, these videos can help you receive more scholarship. Because a Division I or II school pretty much owns their athletes, my girls selected Division III schools with their sports. They focused on the schools that were the best for their careers and fields of study. The coaches who see your amazing videos will go to their department heads and get your scholarship money. Yes, Division III schools don’t give athletic scholarships, but the department heads will look at your scholar side of grades, extracurricular activities, and community service.
Since most schools will not honor your athletic scholarship if injured, be sure to cover yourself by having other options. By researching schools where you can get the best knowledge for your career, you will study at a university where you can spread your wings as an athlete as well as learn every important aspect for your future.
Sometime in November is usually the important date for those seeking early action. Early action is a way to apply to some colleges that are your favorites. (Not all schools offer early action.)This is usually done by students that have done extensive college research, have found a college(s) that strongly matches academically, socially, and geographically, meet and exceed in the SAT/ACT requirements, and has an academic record that has been consistently solid over time. By applying at the early action dates, you benefit from admissions seeing your name early. You will remain on their mind before others who apply later in January/February. It is a way of putting your best foot forward and shows them you really want to attend their school. Since less people do early action, the admissions department spends more time looking at your application.
As a scholar athlete, be sure to fill out the school’s sports questionnaire form. It will alert the head coach of that college you are interested in playing with them. If this is done in July, this gives you a head start over others. My daughter filled this out and sent video to the head coach. The coach followed up with her by phone call and email as well as going to the business departments of the school. She received 90% of their tuition every year because of her volleyball skills, but mostly for her high grades.
Not everyone wants to go far from home when attending college, but it you don’t mind and want to live in different seasons than what you are accustomed, be sure to look at colleges across the country. Both of my CA daughters found private liberal arts schools on the east coast. Because they knew they would only be there for four years, they picked schools with amazing foliage and snow days. They were lucky to have family friends and some family on the east coast. Although they didn’t fly home for Thanksgiving, they have made it home for every Christmas and summer. We have adjusted to spending Thanksgiving differently with our college girls by finding different friends and family to share the holiday. The most important thing about finding a school on the east coast is they offer more scholarship to students from the west coast in order to be more diverse.
After reading this your head is probably ready to explode. It is a lot of information to take in so reread it a few times. As you begin the college process, begin to make notes on a calendar, make to-do lists, and schedule your essay writing days. There may be college consultants in your area, so take time to seek them out. Even though this seems difficult and intricate, take your time. Include your parents, family members, and even your high school teachers. Think about emailing your essays to your English teachers, they will be happy to help. It is customary to send a cover letter asking for their time to read and critique your writing and be sure to say thank you with a card and small token.
It sounds like your summer will be spent writing the majority of your days, so stock up your fridge with your favorite snacks, microwavable meals, and healthy summer fruits. As you begin finishing the research, applications and essays, you will notice how much time it all takes. You will be so grateful your mom found this blog to help you get ready. Remember, you’re a senior and it’s time to start acting like one. Take responsibility in your future. Don’t wait thinking you have lots of time, you really don’t. Dive into your pool for a quick dip and then hit the laptop! Get moving on selecting your future college, you will not regret it. You will only remember the summer you grew up and began thinking like an adult.
Most of all enjoy the process. Every time you feel you hit a wall, talk it out with your parents, sibling, or friend. Remember, it is only fear creeping in and trying to scare you. Keep a smile on your face, put as much time and effort into the process, and have fun. Good luck on your future endeavors, it will work out the way you want it!
