Month by month breakdown of things to do for application year students - Part II
Following up on our previous article on the things students need to work on in the months leading up to their applications, we have hereby compiled a month by month break down for the summer prior to the fall of their senior year:
May: This is the month that we advise for students to finalize their summer and testing plans for their upcoming applications the following fall. For testing, it is worth considering one’s international student status and whether or not they are coming from an English dominated school system. If not, they also need to prep and sit for either the IELTS or TOEFL in addition to the SAT or ACT. We also encourage students to set up their common app accounts and fill in their personal details during this month. Given that most schools finish the school year at the end of May, we usually advise students to select their recommenders and provide the teachers with bragsheets of their achievements at this time. Students should take due care as they decide which teachers to select as recommenders and on how to write robust bragsheets.
June: We advise students to forge a working relationship with their school counselor if they have not already done so at this point. We also advise students to begin researching schools (colleges) a few days a week for ~15-30 min during this month. We would be more than happy to provide niche and proprietary college research resources and databases for students working with us. During this month, students should also work closely with an experienced college admissions mentor to craft their unique application persona and embark on unique passion projects that will set them apart from other applicants. Furthermore, June is also a great time for students to use their new found time for deep reflection and identification of formative experiences/ moments of their lives that would make for a robust personal statement (PS).
July: This would be the month for students to fully focus on SAT prep should they have the plan to sit for the August SAT. Furthermore, July is also a great time for students to solidify their academic exploration of their potential majors of interest and engage in in-depth book reading and online coursework to display their academic curiosity to admission officers. Moreover, this is a great time for students to methodically craft their activity and honors lists in a manner that highlights the real-world impact of such experiences.
August: In addition to intensive test prep, we advise students to engage in hands on brainstorming and drafting of college-specific supplemental essays during the month of August. This is also the best time to put in place a nuanced early application strategy for the coming fall alongside an experienced college admissions mentor.
