For the home stretch:
1) Make a schedule/Stick to it. One of the most difficult things for seniors is making the time to complete all required documents in a timely fashion. You are seniors. You are busy. So, get a head start! It should be noted that many schools will not accept late application materials. Even schools with rolling admissions will fill up at some point. Your biggest priority this year is to complete the admissions applications, financial aid and scholarship forms, housing, the “I accept” and “I decline” paperwork, etc., etc. ON TIME.
2) Send required materials to EACH school. You will need to give the College Advisor ample time to print and mail your transcripts for all schools to which you are applying. Most schools require recommendations from counselors, administrators, teachers, and/or mentors. Kindly ask these individuals to assist you. Provide them with a resume or outline of your accomplishments and qualifications. Give them plenty of time to complete that, providing stamped/addressed envelopes for them to send their recommendations. A thank you note is a great follow-up.
3) Finish standardized testing. Try to improve your scores if needed or possible. Reevaluate where your scores fit into the applicant pool of the schools to which you plan to apply. A high score does not guarantee admissions. A low score does not necessarily disqualify you.
4) Complete your Applications (early). You should try to apply to at least three and not more than ten schools. You will have to pay for the schools to process your application; although, fee waivers are available if you qualify. An application submitted well before the deadline shows a school that you are an organized and serious applicant.
5) File your FAFSA (early). You can apply as soon as your parents have prepared their taxes after January 1 of your senior year. Many schools try to send a financial aid package with their letter of acceptance.
6) Apply for Scholarships. Merit-based scholarships are based on your academic and extra-curricular achievements. Need-based scholarships are only for those students that meet certain financial requirements. Financial aid is not merely your parents concern. You need to be involved because much of the debt might be yours.
7) Finish strong. Colleges reserve the right to rescind an offer of admission. And they do rescind offers of admission. Your final transcript is as important as the transcript sent with your application, so do not slack off because you “got in.”
Wait. Schools receive hundreds and often many thousands of applications every year. Some offer admission to applicants on a rolling basis. Many send all letters of admission at one time (often in April). Take this time to grow in prayer and patience.
9) Finalize your decision. Once you have decided which offer of admission you are going to accept, you need to inform that school of your intentions to attend in the fall. As a common courtesy, you also should send letters declining admission to all other schools at which you were accepted.
10) Keep up with registration/housing/financial paperwork. Work hard!