Things to Do When You Get Back to School As a Senior
Hey, congrats on being a senior! Senior year is super exciting yet incredibly nerve-wracking, so hopefully these tips will help you alleviate that stress a little bit as you start your last first couple of weeks of school (if that makes sense).
1. Request transcripts.
Your school takes time to process this kind of stuff! As far as I know, it's free to request and send out transcripts, so there's no harm in sending them out. If you decide to not apply to a school that you requested a transcript for, that's fine (though disclaimer: don't get all willy-nilly with that). Make sure you have all your papers in order. My school requires a signed form from a parent or guardian authorizing transcripts to be released, and that takes a lot of time to process, so make sure you actually can request a transcript before it's too late.
2. Turn in rolling admissions apps (if you haven’t done so at this point).
Rolling admission applications are by far the most straightforward. I applied to the University of Pittsburgh on my first day of school because it's pretty easy to fill out. Get those easy apps done so you can get a reply sooner. Trust me: nothing feels better than getting an acceptance and knowing that you're going to college.
3. Check-in with your teachers about their recommendation letter progress.
You won't come off as annoying for checking in on them. Teachers are actually really busy, so there's no harm in being proactive! Even just a quick update on where they are at with them shows that you're taking your college application process really seriously.
4. Schedule a meeting with your counselor.
Your school counselor is pretty crucial to this whole process. I was fortunate to have a great relationship with my school counselor (despite her having hundreds of kids to keep track of), and we got along really well. It's your last chance to build a good impression on him or her, so schedule early and schedule wisely! Have a list of questions for your first meeting, and make sure that you're on the same page before you embark on the college application process.
5. Request test scores.
Whether the SAT or the ACT was your go-to (or heck, even both), better start requesting those test scores now, if you haven't already done so. Colleges are really good at matching up your test score information with the information you give them on the application, so don't feel like you need to match up the time stamps of those requests. If the test scores come in before the apps, great. If not, then that's a bit of a problem (since those scores take a notoriously long time to get to the right hands). It's in your best interest to get them over with ASAP. After all, isn't the whole point to save some stress?
I will say that when it comes to requesting scores for schools you're not sure of, I would suggest holding them off since there are fees for sending them. You should make a decision sooner or later, though!
6. Don’t relax, yet.
Ugh, yes. I know. To be honest, I was feeling pretty burned out by the time I went back, but things do tend to catch up to you, so it's in your best interest to remain alert and calm for at least these first couple of weeks. If anything, I suggest you reward yourself a bit more during this year (hey, you made it this far!), but your grades are still important. Maaaybe you could slack off just a little bit and nobody would notice...
1. Request transcripts.
Your school takes time to process this kind of stuff! As far as I know, it's free to request and send out transcripts, so there's no harm in sending them out. If you decide to not apply to a school that you requested a transcript for, that's fine (though disclaimer: don't get all willy-nilly with that). Make sure you have all your papers in order. My school requires a signed form from a parent or guardian authorizing transcripts to be released, and that takes a lot of time to process, so make sure you actually can request a transcript before it's too late.
2. Turn in rolling admissions apps (if you haven’t done so at this point).
Rolling admission applications are by far the most straightforward. I applied to the University of Pittsburgh on my first day of school because it's pretty easy to fill out. Get those easy apps done so you can get a reply sooner. Trust me: nothing feels better than getting an acceptance and knowing that you're going to college.
3. Check-in with your teachers about their recommendation letter progress.
You won't come off as annoying for checking in on them. Teachers are actually really busy, so there's no harm in being proactive! Even just a quick update on where they are at with them shows that you're taking your college application process really seriously.
4. Schedule a meeting with your counselor.
Your school counselor is pretty crucial to this whole process. I was fortunate to have a great relationship with my school counselor (despite her having hundreds of kids to keep track of), and we got along really well. It's your last chance to build a good impression on him or her, so schedule early and schedule wisely! Have a list of questions for your first meeting, and make sure that you're on the same page before you embark on the college application process.
5. Request test scores.
Whether the SAT or the ACT was your go-to (or heck, even both), better start requesting those test scores now, if you haven't already done so. Colleges are really good at matching up your test score information with the information you give them on the application, so don't feel like you need to match up the time stamps of those requests. If the test scores come in before the apps, great. If not, then that's a bit of a problem (since those scores take a notoriously long time to get to the right hands). It's in your best interest to get them over with ASAP. After all, isn't the whole point to save some stress?
I will say that when it comes to requesting scores for schools you're not sure of, I would suggest holding them off since there are fees for sending them. You should make a decision sooner or later, though!
6. Don’t relax, yet.
Ugh, yes. I know. To be honest, I was feeling pretty burned out by the time I went back, but things do tend to catch up to you, so it's in your best interest to remain alert and calm for at least these first couple of weeks. If anything, I suggest you reward yourself a bit more during this year (hey, you made it this far!), but your grades are still important. Maaaybe you could slack off just a little bit and nobody would notice...
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