School Year Kickoff: September Senior Checklist

As fall arrives and students head back to classes, it’s imperative that high schoolers make sure that they’re staying on top of their academic to-do lists and application tasks. For seniors, coming back to school means that they are simultaneously engrossed in the most exciting and the busiest time of their high school careers. We’ve assembled checklists for seniors and younger students to help ensure our families stay on the right track this semester!

Galin’s Senior Checklist:

Academics:

The bread and butter of any senior’s checklist starts with making sure their academics are in order. Seniors should take a courseload that reflects their most rigorous schedule to date, covers all of their academic areas, and ensures they will maintain (or raise!) their cumulative GPA. 

Testing:

Standardized tests (either the ACT or SAT) plays a large role in solidifying the work students have done in the classroom on a more regulated and universal scale. While not all universities require standardized tests for applicants, more and more schools are returning to test-required policies. Seniors should identify their school’s testing policies, research reporting requirements (self-reporting vs officials scores), and schedule any additional upcoming exams before registration deadlines. 

Extracurricular Activities:

Whether your student participates in lacrosse, DECA, NHS, or band, senior year is going to be full of opportunities to make their last year of extracurricular activities their best! For seniors, this means constructing an activities list highlighting the cool clubs they’ve been a part of, the awards they’ve earned, and carefully describing their leadership roles throughout high school. 

College List:

The college list is simultaneously exciting and (often) a source of dread for our seniors. Students and their families should create a well-balanced list of likely, target, and reach universities. While it may be tempting to exhaust the Common App’s 20 college slots, Galin recommends applying to a maximum of 12-15 universities. The sooner students finalize their list, the less last-minute work will be needed as application deadlines approach. 

Essays:

Application essays are seniors’ best chance to stand out from the crowd and prove that ChatGPT is not behind their application! Whether the personal statement or the college-specific supplemental essays, seniors should outline each required essay for the colleges they are applying to, verify this year’s essay prompts for each college using the Common App, and create a plan for finishing all essays by upcoming deadlines. Organizing essay requirements, planning work time, and tracking deadlines ensures that seniors continue to make steady progress throughout fall. 

Younger Student Checklist:

For younger high school students, the fall is an amazing time to organize a resume, identify activities they want to test out or deepen their involvement in, and begin planning college visits. Students need to establish strong study habits and maintain their academics, no matter their grade level. Rising juniors should also decide on a standardized testing strategy.

Need Help?

Whether your student is a senior or an underclassman, we encourage seeking support for the college application process! If your family has questions about these checklists (or any other college application tasks), our college counseling team is here to help.