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KNIGHTtime News
GUIDING YOUR COLLEGE PROCESS
By Bea Hodavdekar
It’s hard to believe that only three short years ago your student was rocking an oversized t-shirt,
designed by the class of 2016 on the rst day of freshman year. Now, it’s their turn to design the oversized t-shirt for the class of 2022 to rock on the rst day of school! And, like those who came before them, it will also be their turn to submit college applications. This, combined with the start of senior year, can feel hectic and chaotic; however, there are a few things students can do over the summer to set their college process on a less stressful and more organized path.
Begin Working on the Common App Essay/UC Prompts
The essay tends to rank fairly high for students when it comes to the more stressful aspects of the college application process. Part of the reason for the stress is that students tend to put o the bulk of the essay work until the beginning of senior year, and by this time, students
are inundated with additional assignments for both school and
the college application process. To get ahead of this, students should start working on either the Common
SUMMER PREP
for Rising Seniors Keys for a Less Stressful Process
App essay, the UC prompts, or both, now! Both application platforms have updated their essay prompts for 2018-2019, and Menlo College Counseling will host its annual
essay writing workshop for rising seniors on June 13-14. In the essay workshop, college counselors will provide students with plenty of time to work on their essays. In addition, college admissions representatives will be in attendance to provide professional feedback on student essays. With the more stressful part of the application out of the way, students can focus their energy on the other parts of the application.
Narrow the College List
Over this past semester, juniors
have been attending the College Admissions Seminar (CAS) course. The major focus of the CAS curriculum has been the college
list as students have been asked
to re ect on the factors that are important to their university experience, such as size, location, selectivity, and so on. Based on these factors, students have been working hard to develop a thoughtful, balanced college list. Compared to years prior, this step in the college
application process is occurring much earlier. The idea behind
the shifting of the timeline is that every year, colleges move to earlier application deadlines, and as a result, it is important for students to shift their timelines accordingly so they can work with their counselor on application strategies.
Prep for Interviews
One aspect of the college application process that tends to sneak up on
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