Teen Talk
It’s That Time of Year
By Stephanie Courtois
Once the time comes, it hits and keeps on going for a good few months. The college application season has arrived and it’s certainly not leaving any time soon.
With college on the brain, many high school seniors are anxious about one thing. Admission. In order just to prevent a mental break down, it is imperative that a student keeps a checklist of items to be accomplished. From transcripts, to scholarships, to SAT and ACT testing, to essays, to resumes and putting it all together, it is quite a job.
On top of all those stressors, seniors must also be burdened with heavy course work, clubs and jobs. Not to mention the fact that it is senior year and the entire focal point of high school is on the twelfth grade. Seniors shouldn’t be denied the right to miss out on all the exciting activities such as homecoming week or any other exciting program.
That was a mouthful. Here is my checklist for the 2012 graduating seniors to keep them as stress-free as possible and make this year count!
– Choose the colleges that you wish to apply to and research to see if they have your intended major.
– Start the application process; enter your personal information and the easy portions that can be filled out by the knowledge at the top of your head.
– Take the SAT and/or ACT again. And make sure that when you register you mention which school you are applying to, so the testing service knows where to send your scores. Plus, if you enter that information before you take the test, the requests are free. After the test is taken, there is a fee in order to send the scores.
– Send in ALL test scores that you have taken. Even if you think you did better on one exam than other, send it in anyway. Colleges only look at your highest one anyhow.
– Work on your academic action resume and your essay. Find out the prompts and work on them at home. Then show your English teacher or someone you trust what you have written. Include at least three other people in critiquing it before you send it off.
– Send in all the college applications on the first deadline that they ask for. The earlier you submit it, the better.
– Check with the college to make sure that they have received all of your information. If you sent it in early, you have time to fix the problem before the deadline rolls around.
– Apply for scholarships and financial aid. Timing is everything in life, so get to it as soon as they are available.
– Enjoy the rest of senior year. Everyone only gets one of those in life and by following these steps, you can make it run smoothly.
Stephanie Courtois is a senior at Wellington High School. She is involved in tae kwon do, French, National and Chemistry Honor Societies, and is the Editor-in-Chief of her school newspaper. She loves journalism and plans to continue working for a magazine in her career after college.