It’s time to get cracking for rising seniors! Make the most of your summer to get a jump start on your application process. This will make you far less stressed come application time. Here are nine ways prospective college students can get ahead from U.S. News:

1. Narrow down your college list: It is vital to research schools you may be interested in, understand what each college has to offer, and narrow down your list of schools to apply to. You should have a variety of target schools, reach schools, and safety schools on your list. Unsure of what that means? College Planning Experts can help!

2. Visit college campuses: Visit, visit, visit! We can’t stress this enough! There’s no better way to get a feel for a college until you actually visit it. Throughout your visit, you can physically see the college and classrooms, engage with the students that actually go there, and ask your tour guide essential questions regarding academics, financial aid, student life, and more. Here is a list of questions you should use throughout your tour!

3. Work on college essays: Starting on your college essays during your summer break allows you to go through the entire editing process. Read, re-read, and pass along your essays to peers and teachers to edit for you. It will also allow you enough time to come up with a topic that’ll blow your prospective colleges away!

4. Ask for letters of rec: Some universities may ask for letters of recommendation. Be sure to ask your teachers, coaches, counselors, etc. during summer, if you haven’t already asked during your junior year! This gives your recommender enough time to draft, write and edit. Here is everything you should know about letters of rec!

5. Compile an activities list: List out every activity you’ve been apart of, the amount of time you’ve been affiliated with each activity, and bullet points describing each activity in detail. This will make it exceptionally easier come application time – all you need to do is transfer the information over to apps!

6. Study for standardized tests: Although you may have already taken the SAT and/or ACT during your junior year, some students like to retake these tests in effort to earn a better score. What better time to study than during your seemingly never-ending summer break?

7. Learn about financial aid requirements: This is a huge one! Take some much needed time to learn the ins and outs of financial aid forms, requirements and deadlines. This is another area where College Planning Experts could be of essential importance. Financial aid forms can be tricky to fill out…and don’t you want the most financial award as possible for your family? We know how to get that for you.

8. Work or volunteer: This will simply boost your application. Get a job or volunteer in a field you’re passionate about. Shadow a doctor if you’re interested in medicine or intern at your local TV station if you’re interested in film production. The opportunities are endless.

9. And lastly, start filling out applications: The only thing left to do is to start applying! UC applications open on August 1st. The Common Application opens August 1st, as well, although you can create an account any time. Here is everything you need to know about the Common App. Get to it!

College Planning Experts can help you throughout this entire college planning process, including finding a list of “best fit” colleges you should apply to, guidance on your college applications and essays, as well as getting you the most financial aid award as you can possibly get, lowering your family’s expected contribution.

We can offer you a FREE private analysis. All you need to do is click this link, and we’ll get back to you shortly! https://collegeplanningexperts.com/schedule-your-college-planning-analysis