Hey there.. … it’s me… a senior mom who just survived two years in a row of having a senior in high school here in High Point, North Carolina. I’m here to tell you that you will survive too despite your geographical location.
Senior year can be overwhelming for both seniors and parents alike, but these seasonal tips might just help you make it through to the other side, even despite the potential of a hive breakout or a few thousand tears shed!
Summer before senior year
- Visit college campuses. You don’t have to visit every college your senior wants to apply to, but visiting campuses is certainly helpful. Each campus gives a different feel. Does your student like an urban, city-like setting, or do they prefer something more rural? Do they want a large school environment, or a small, intimate one? Your student may not know what they want until hey do a little deeper digging, but many find they “just felt at home” as soon as stepping onto particular campuses.
- Work on that Common Ap. Trust me, you’ll thank me later on this. The Common Ap has one major essay. It’s the same for all schools, and it is what the admissions boards will first read. My seniors wrote and revised this several times before settling on the final draft that would be included with their applications. Summertime provides a lot more time than while your student navigates high school classes and for some athletics as well. Get it done before the Common Ap opens up in its entirety August 1.
- Yearbook photos. If your school requires a yearbook photo from the school photographer, these are often scheduled in the summer. If you are able to submit our own senior photo for the yearbook, those deadlines can be as early as late September or early October. If that’s the case, you’ll want to get your senior photos done in plenty of time to select your amazing photo!
- Schedule senior photos. This is certainly a luxury not a “have to” on the to-do list. But why not commemorate this season of life with some amazing senior portraits. It is likely the next time your child will have portraits taken will be on her wedding day.
- Schedule and take the SAT or ACT. The earlier your student takes these, the more options they have to retake them if they don’t like their original score. Getting that test done in August, allows a for a couple more opportunities before college application deadlines arise. And you can superscore these tests. That means you take the best scores from each section to submit to the school.
- Hang out with your senior! I know they want to spend a lot of time with their friends. This is natural. But schedule a few dates with them. Go to a movie, go shopping, have a game night… next summer will be here in the blink of an eye!
Fall
- List schools your student is interested in. Help your senior hone in on where she wants to apply. We made a list of what each of our children wanted in a school. Think about size, activities available, athletic opportunities, Greek life, geographical location, cost, etc. Don’t discount private or out of state schools if your student wants to spread their wings beyond what you think your budget can handle. Many out of state schools offer merit scholarships, and many private schools have some pretty hefty endowments allowing for scholarship opportunities. Most of this information can be found on the schools’ websites.
- Work on your applications. That common ap essay many not be the only one your student needs to write. Many schools have multiple additional essays that need to be included with the application to that specific school. Some of these aren’t long (250 words or so) but that can be thought intensive. Some can be reused for multiple schools with a few wording tweaks, but just be aware these can be time consuming to complete!
- Apply to those colleges. Apply early if you can! Remember that saying the early bird gets the worm? It very much applies to college applications. There is more opportunity for scholarship money with early application dates. For many colleges, those dates are mid-early November. If a school offers “early action” there is no penalty to applying to as many early as you can. Schools with “early decision” do have penalties if you choose not to attend that school. Many private schools offer “early decision.” You must be confident your student wants to attend that school and it is in your budget regardless of what how much or how little scholarship is offered.
- Investigate and apply for scholarships There are lots of scholarships out there. Have your student check with their high school counselors for a starting list. Many counselors have resources to direct students to applicable scholarships.
- Check email on the regular! Some of those schools you apply early action to will have rolling admissions. Most of the school’s announcement windows are listed on its website. Some of those announcements can arrive in your inbox as little as two weeks after you apply. Additionally, scholarship information or anything that your application ay be missing is noted through the school’s email.
- Get recommendation letters. Colleges want recommendation letters. Don’t wait until the last minute for these. Seek out coaches, teachers, etc. and do it early so they have ample time to write a glorious words!
- Fill out the FASFA. WARNING: This may result in lots of cuss words and the desire to throw the computer out the window. Be patient. The FASFA is long and not fun. But it is a necessary evil when applying to colleges. Additionally, if your student is applying to a private institution, the CSS may also need to be completed. The CSS is also not fun, and, in my opinion, takes a lot more time than the FASFA.
Winter
- Patience, patience, patience! If you haven’t already heard from some of those schools, you will now through Mid-late march depending on how your student applied. Be supportive, understanding, and patient. This is a huge anxiety ridden time. Students may rejoice in acceptances, become frustrated with waitlists, or feel rejected with denials. It’s so hard watching this process. For students on a waitlist, that next acceptance or denial can arrive as late as mid June. Ultimately, I believe these kids land where they are meant to land. And if they don’t, transfer portals are always an option!
- Decisions! Your student has until May 1 to accept the college or university’s bid to attend. However, some schools put students into a housing lottery determined upon their date of bid acceptance. Find out if that becomes the case, and decide if getting that housing deposit in works financially for you. We wish we would have done that for our son, as he almost did not get on campus housing his freshman year.
- More campus visits. If you haven’t had a chance to tour all your schools before applying, make sure to get that scheduled. Visiting a campus can tell your student if it’s the right fit or not, and often that feeling is pretty immediate!
- Prom dress shopping! For my girls out there…. I shopped for my daughter’s prom dress during her winter break. It may seem excessively early, but there were so many choices and sizes available, and we didn’t feel rushed. She was also involved in a spring sport, so taking that time while we had it was important!
- Order graduation announcements. While you can wait a little while to order these, wouldn’t it be nice to have it checked off the list weeks before they need mailed?
Spring
Hold onto your hats, folks!! This season is going to fly by. Trust me… spring is like an out of control steamroller.. but you are a rockstar parent with a rockstar senior… you’ve got this!
- Have your child meet with their academic advisor. This meeting is a safety net to make sure everything is in place for graduation. If for some reason they are missing something, the day before graduation is NOT the time to find out about it!
- Plan the party. If you are celebrating your senior upon graduation, not would be the time to check out ideas on Pinterest for inspiration, and order those party supplies. If you are shopping in local stress, the sooner you do this the better, as supplies will get sold out the closer to graduation.
- Send out graduation announcements. These should be sent out three weeks prior to graduation. Its so fun gathering announcements from everyone. We replaced our Christmas card wall with the graduation announcements. One fun idea: save those cards and pray over these kids as they embark on their next adventures post graduation!
- Plan a trip. This is of course totally optional, but a trip for, or even better, with, your senior is a great way to celebrate all they’ve accomplished.
Lastly… Let them FLY! You’ve done an amazing job getting them to this point. Let them spread their winds, but know you are there for them every step during their next chapter. It’s ok to cry. It’s ok to let go. It’s ok to feel all the emotions.
If you would love to have ONE thing off your plate, go ahead and hit that button below. Let's meet to craft an amazing senior session for your student. After all, aren't they worth one stress free experience during their senior year?
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