Summer Checklist to Boost Your College Application

As your junior year of high school comes to an end, you should be looking ahead to any outstanding tasks to complete that will help boost your college application. While you may feel that you have plenty of time to complete your college application, request letters of recommendation, and continue to make yourself a competitive applicant through camps, courses, and tutoring, you will not want to wait until the last semester of school to start knocking these line items off your “to-do” list. Review this summer checklist to boost your college application and ensure that you go into your final year with the peace of mind that you’re ready to attend your dream college.

Participate in a specialized Summer Program

If you’re looking for ways to become a more competitive college applicant, the summer of your junior year Is the perfect time to enroll in specialized programs aimed at preparing you for college. This could include summer classes offered to high school students at your local university or they can career-oriented internships that allow you to learn valuable hard and soft skills. Adding this experience to your college resume and application will show that you are a driven and capable applicant.

Visit College Campuses

If you’re still not set on which college you’d like to attend, take the summer vacation to visit campuses on your list. Most college tours can be conducted in group settings or by scheduling an appointment with the appropriate department at the university. While visiting campuses over the summer won’t add to your application in any way, it can certainly help you decide on which campuses you liked the most. In many cases, seeing the campus and student amenities in person can spark excitement and motivate you to complete your college admissions checklist.

Start Requesting Letters of Recommendation

You do not want to wait until the last semester of your senior year to start asking professors, college admissions coaches, and mentors for letters of recommendation. While they may be more than willing to write a shining letter of recommendation you want to make sure that you are courteous and ask for a letter of recommendation with plenty of lead time. You never know how many other letters of recommendation they may be writing!

Apply for Scholarships

When it comes to scholarships, grants, and financial assistance, knowing when and where to apply is more than half the battle. Spend some time over your summer vacation to research and apply to scholarship programs that you may qualify for including academic scholarships, means-based financial assistance, and sports/club-related sponsorships. You may be surprised by how many funding opportunities apply to your situation.