The Senior Guide

Finally, senior year is here! This means that you are no longer going to be thinking about applying to college because you will be applying to college. This can be intimidating, but the first step is to create a finalized college list. Applicants should create a comprehensive list that has a balance of schools to maximize the chance of admission to one of their top colleges.

Ideally, students will have the scores they need on the SAT or ACT by the end of junior year. If students need to take the tests again to improve their score they need to do so before college applications are due in November, December and January. However, if students are applying early decision or early action to a college(s) they should finish testing as soon as possible since these applications are due early in the fall. If juniors find themselves needing to test during senior year they should study over the summer before school starts. Seniors should also prioritize studying during the fall if they don't have the score they need. These tests are very important for college admissions, but realize they are not everything. These tests should be taken seriously, but should not cause unhealthy amounts of anxiety and stress. With a study plan and hard work you can get the score you need to get into your dream school.

Building a spike is one of the most important steps in the college application process. Unlike essays and standardized test scores, preparing for and creating a spike requires potentially years of consistent growth in an area that you are truly passionately about. This means seniors without a spike are at a disadvantage. In order to attempt to form something like a spike, join some activities surrounding a theme/passion and convey this in your essays. Note, this cannot replace a spike formed over many years, but it can certainly improve admission chances. If you have strong stats you may not need to worry too much about the spike at this point in senior year. However, for the Ivy League, spikes are very important, and for top 50 and 100 colleges, such as the many great public state schools, a spike is becoming in some ways a necessity too. Having a spike means that you have a extremely valuable advantage with any school you apply to. Finish developing your spike and focus on conveying it through the activities list and essays on your application.

In order to apply to colleges you must use one of several college application platforms. These include the Common Application, Coalition, as well as some others specialized for particular colleges. Create your account(s) early so you have access to essays and can start writing them as soon as possible. Also complete the platforms overall application early so you can focus on the supplemental college applications.

Essays are one of the most important factors in college admissions. Most people think of GPA and test scores as the primary factors, and to an extend they are, but essays are special in that they reveal who you really are to admissions officers. Use this guide to your advantage, be creative, and edit a lot, and you should have some incredible essays to make you stand out in the admissions process.

Getting the best GPA you can in high school is vital. Work as hard as you can and as hard as you need to in order to get the necessary GPA for the colleges you might apply to. This will take hard work and determination, but you can do it. Aim for a GPA above your dream school's average GPA for admitted students. If this doesn't happen, don't worry. Having an average or very close to average GPA for a given college is ok. A significantly lower GPA than a school's average will substantially lower any applicant's chance of admission.

Senior year is the year that students need to make final decisions on whom they will ask for letters of recommendation. After careful consideration, applicants need to ask for them, which should be done strategically. Asking as early as possible in senior year is also important.