WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER

SENIORS: This will be one of the most crucial months in all of your application process. If you haven’t already started your application process, START NOW! Most early admissions deadlines have probably already passed, and the official deadline will be right after the New Year. You should be asking your teachers for letters of recommendations and provide them with the deadlines that those must be turned in. Write your admissions essays, get the proofread over and over by different people. You should also make sure you have enough schools to apply to. Make sure you have “reach” schools that are a little bit out of your academic range, “safety” schools that will guarantee your admission, and a set of schools that you are on the brink of being accepted. These schools are what some people call “match” schools, and they are good fits for you academically as your grades and test scores fall safely within theirs. “Safety” schools on the other hand are schools your GPA and test scores exceed. You should also be scheduling interviews with admissions offices if you haven’t already done so. You should also have requests in for your transcript and make sure you are keeping up on the scholarship deadlines as well.

JUNIORS: Keep researching colleges and universities! Visit your counselor or college career counselor (if you are confident in them) and ask about the SAT, ACT, and PSAT. Register for “Word of the Day” to help you get prepared for the SAT as well.