College Application Game Plan

(Seniors, July)

The Common Application opens up in less than a month, but you still have plenty of time to
prepare. If you’re reading this, you’re ahead of the game—trust me. Many students don’t begin
to think about their applications until the fall or winter.

Summer isn’t the time to stuff your activities list with every opportunity you can find. Rather,
formulate a game plan for the rest of the admissions season. Although you may feel tempted to
found a new club or initiative, you don’t want to give colleges the impression that you’re trying to
pad your resume at the last minute. A summer job or internship could look great, but founding
an entire organization—especially at this point—will seem a bit odd.

Don’t doubt yourself. Don’t focus on what your peers are doing or what you wish you could’ve
done. I’m certain the activities you’ve pursued during the last few years in high school are
meaningful and reflect your redeeming qualities. Now’s the time to let your story shine through
to admissions officers.

Alright, let’s move on to the actionables. How should you spend your summer? Below, I’ve
written up a guide for seven of the tasks you should focus on.

1. Refine Your College List

● Narrow down your list to 7–12 schools. Factors to consider include:

○ Majors offered
○ Estimated cost of attendance (look up the “Net Price Calculator” for each of the
schools you’re applying to)
○ Location (climate, activities, urban/suburban/rural)
○ Campus facilities
○ Campus culture
○ Career services
○ Extracurricular activities
○ School size
○ Student-to-faculty ratio
○ Quality of professors
○ Study abroad programs
○ Greek life
○ Meal plans
○ Dorms
○ Alumni network
● Make sure your list consists of safeties, matches, and reaches. Most students have 2–3
safeties, 3–5 matches, and 2–3 reaches.
2. Start Your College Essays

Most students begin to think about their college essays in July. Spend the first few weeks of this
month brainstorming essay ideas and jot them down on a notepad. Reflect on core experiences
you’ve had throughout high school—they could be in a club, at home, with friends, or even at
work. Why do these experiences stick out to you, and what do they reveal about your
character?

Focus on the takeaways. How have these experiences shaped who you are and who you aspire
to become? Brainstorm experiences that highlight your leadership, resilience, intellectual
curiosity, adaptability, humility, and ambition.

Make sure to have a peer or teacher look over your essays. In addition to pointing out
grammatical and syntactical errors, they should comment on the topic and theme of the essay.
Does it reflect well on your character? Does it help the reader understand who you are as a
person?

If you’d like some extra help, I’d be happy to look at your essay.

3. Enhance Your Extracurriculars

When it comes to extracurricular activities, focus on deepening what you’ve already started.
Don’t worry about starting new clubs or organizations; rather, how can you take your existing
pursuits to the next level?

For instance, if you already have an organization, can you expand it to a wider audience via
social media? Can you recruit new members during the summer?

If you’re the leader of a club at your school, what are some ways you can prepare for the fall?
On the other hand, if you’re not a leader in one of your clubs, how can you prepare for
elections?

(Note: a summer job or internship is an exception to the rule I’ve stated above. It’s constrained
to the summer and will seem more genuine than starting a new club at the last minute.)

4. Begin the Scholarship Hunt

Begin using online resources to find scholarships to apply to. A great website to use is the
College Scholarship Search by the College Board.
Also, note if you qualify for any merit-based scholarships from the schools you’re applying to.

5. Plan Campus Visits

COVID restrictions permitting, plan out campus visits for the schools in your list. If you cannot
visit a particular college, consider attending virtual info sessions or tours.

6. Plan Your Letters of Recommendation

If you haven’t already asked two teachers for a letter of recommendation, begin to think about
who you’ll ask this fall.

After you ask your teachers—preferably in person—be sure to have a brag sheet ready. This
sheet will help your teachers write your letters and highlight important details about your
activities and character.

If you’re planning to apply to MIT, note that they require one letter of recommendation from a
STEM teacher and the other from a humanities teacher.

7. Continue Studying for the SAT/ACT

The December SAT/ACT is usually the last administration you’re able to take for your regular
decision schools. Make sure to spend at least a few hours each week preparing if you’re
planning to retake either test.