The College Application Process

The College Application Process Looks Different With The Support Of A Professional College Counselor!

The college application process is getting more and more complex, confusing, and all too often, I hear about people who are unsure where, when, and how to start. I wanted to lay out the broad strokes of what I recommend as you start to think about applying to colleges. For many, that starts in the Sophomore year of High School. As a Freshman, you get acclimated to the new school, then the following year you start thinking ahead to the future.

Please note, this is not the process for EVERYONE! Every student’s college journey is different and unique to them. Don’t look at this as a prescription, rather a starting point to get you acclimated to thinking about what the process entails when working with a professional college counselor throughout the application process.

10th Grade - Establishing Relationships

For students in grades 9 and 10, it is more about relationship-building and thinking about ways to make the most of high school. It’s having a 3rd-party partner to think through decisions with and ensure that you’re making these decisions in a way that sets you up for success upon a strong foundation.

• Fall

  • Getting to know each other - whether that’s a professional college counselor or connecting with your support system

  • Reflecting on the summer

  • Checking in about classes and activities

• Winter

  • Initial summer planning - job, internship, summer camp?

  • Reflection and personal assessments

  • Extracurricular mix

  • Intro to your college options

• Spring

  • Course selection for 11th grade

  • Rounding out your summer plans

  • Understanding your basic college options and what that means

11th Grade - Getting Ready To Apply To College

For 11th grade students, we shift more into the college process specifically, with more regular meetings that focus around building a balanced list, a testing plan that makes sense, shaping activities, planning for summer and beyond, and digging deep on self-reflection that then aligns with college research and knowledge.

• End of Summer - Getting Ready for Junior Year

  • Summer reflection

  • Classes for the year - how does it look?

  • Activities for the year, activities for the fall? Too much? Too little?

  • Create a testing plan & timeline (SAT, ACT, etc.)

  • Learn about the school resources available to you

    • School counselor

    • Naviance or another system

    • College rep visits

• September

  • How are things going? Is anything feeling too much? Too little? Does anything need to change?

  • Map out some initial visits/local/family travel for the first half of the year

  • What does it look like to take activities to the next level?

  • Start learning about schools as opportunities arise, visits in your school, hometown, etc.

• October

  • Initial personal inventory, learning about yourself

  • initial inventory of college majors and where you interests and characteristics overlap with certain majors

  • Revisit testing plan

  • Revisit college visit planning

• November

  • Revisit all items above

  • Research methods and techniques for schools

  • Making good on the tools available to you through school

• December

  • Brief check in on how things are going - enjoy your winter break!

• January

  • Brainstorm summer opportunities and interests

  • Create initial college list

• February

  • Summer planning continued

  • List updates and data collection

• March

  • Start to identify teachers to write recommendations

  • Plot out a schedule for next year or identify areas

  • College list updates

  • college visits

• April

  • College list updates

  • college visits

  • Summer planning

  • Preview of the common application

  • Portfolio & materials organization

• May

  • Brief check-in

  • Study for AP exams & finals

• June

  • College essay workshop and initial drafting

  • Common Application basics

12th Grade - Be the best college applicant you can be

In 12th grade, we meet often to work through each part of the applications. Essays and supplements, activity lists and resumes, interviews and program selections, there are a seemingly endless set of drop-downs and choices and I will guide you through each step.

• Summer

  • Essay work

  • College visits

  • Common application completion

  • Get close to a final list and determine early strategy

  • The goal for the summer before Senior year is to start school with the first 3 applications complete or very close to complete!

• School year

  • Weekly or Bi-weekly sessions to complete all aspects of all of your college applications