Summer Before Senior Year: Your Secret Weapon in College Applications

You’ve almost made it through junior year—congrats! That’s no small feat. But before you shift into full summer mode, there’s something important to consider: this summer is prime time for college planning.

While your classmates are scrolling TikTok and sleeping in, you can quietly gain a huge edge. The summer before senior year offers freedom from school stress and the space to take intentional steps toward planning your future.

Here’s why smart students (and their future selves) take action now.

1. Build Your College List. Sure, maybe you have an idea of a few schools you plan to apply to. But what do you really know about them? It’s common for high schoolers to build their list based on where everyone else is applying–the schools they have heard of from family and friends. But where a college admissions coach can help is broadening that list by asking the right questions and supporting your unique wants and needs in a college campus that you might not even realize you possess.

2. Do Your Research. You can spend time this summer taking a deep dive into researching all of the important features you’re looking for in a college campus, watch virtual tours, follow the school on social media and reach out to departments of interest. While I do recommend visiting while school is in session, summer can be a great time to get a first look at prospective colleges. You will always have the opportunity to attend open houses and take a second look at the ones you are most interested in.

3. Organize Your Resume. There are many advantages to crafting an actual document of your high school experience. First, the Common App will ask you for a list and description of all of your activities, and it would be really helpful to have that organized before you sit down at the last minute to apply. It takes some time to remember everything from all the way back in freshman year. Next, you can use your resume as a marketing tool. I have my clients send their resume to the admissions office ahead of their application as an introduction. If school track demonstrated interest, that gives you another checkmark. Lastly, many scholarship applications ask for a resume, and some schools even allow you to upload a resume into their application. It would be nice to have an organized, professional document in your back pocket ready to go.

4. Draft Your Personal Statement Essay. Once school starts in the fall, you will be hitting the ground running with academic and social demands for your time. There will be activities, sporting events, practices, homecoming—all the stuff! Your personal statement essay is an important part of your application. You don’t want to quickly slap something together. Take the summer to brainstorm ideas, reflect on meaningful life experiences that have shaped you and write multiple drafts. You can leisurely edit, walk away from it and come back with fresh ideas. It's a process you won’t want to rush.

5. Make a Game Plan for Senior Year. Some early action deadlines are as soon as October. Over the summer you can finalize your list and strategize. What is your application priority? Which ones will you apply early action? Will you do an early decision application? Also be thinking about who you will ask for a teacher recommendation. The “popular” teachers will be bombarded with requests when school starts. Will you be taking the SAT/ACT exams again? Summer is the time to answer all of these questions.

You don’t have to spend every minute of summer planning for college. But using just a few hours a week can set you up for success, lower your senior-year stress, and give you confidence that you’re ready for what’s ahead.

So yes—sleep in a little, hit the pool, hang with your friends. But also carve out time to work on the next chapter of your life. Your future self will thank you.