Submitting a college application is a transaction. The process of preparing for the click of the submit button is a journey. The journey starts now. Over the past three decades of helping students identify and apply to colleges, we have found that students who understand their abilities, passions, and interests, are able to find the “right fit”, and consequently have the most successful application process. They have completed extensive research, become self-aware, asked the tough questions, put their best foot forward in the application process and, as a result, they have found a range of schools that they can embrace.

Seniors return to campus with varying degrees of college application readiness. Some will have completed the entire Summer To Do List, while others may be asking “Summer What List?”  Regardless of where a student is on the spectrum of summer productivity, it is okay. Here are a few steps each of our seniors need to take this fall as, together, we navigate the college application process.

Spend Time With Your College Counselor

Beyond opportunities to meet one-on-one with the student’s individual College Counselor, application extra help sessions are scheduled on a regular basis during study blocks and after dinner. Proctor’s College Counseling department is eager to help, and there is nothing more beneficial to relieving stress and making progress on an application than a face-to-face meeting with a college counselor!

Use Your Skills:

Knowledge of specific requirements and staying organized are keys to reducing stress and ensuring timely submission of applications. Seniors are able to use the skills they have honed during their Proctor experience to approach the college application process with confidence:

• Utilizing an organizational system to manage requirements and deadlines.
• Applying research skills to learn about each college’s programs and differentiators.
• Backward planning to allow for drafts, corrections, and proofreading of essays.
• Leveraging self-advocacy skills to to ask colleges “What if my skill set and needs vary from ‘the norm’?”

Understand Your Materials and Your Timeline:

Once a student has dialed into their final list and completed their applications, they “Request Transcripts” through Naviance, Proctor’s college counseling portal for each family. All “supporting materials” are managed and delivered electronically in the College Counseling office. Students should know that the Proctor Academy Supporting Materials package includes:

• Official Transcript
• Proctor Profile
• College Counselor Recommendation
• Secondary School Report
• Teacher Recommendation(s)

It’s a Journey, Enjoy It!

The journey should be filled with opportunities for growth, picking yourself up after a stumble, learning personal responsibility, and identifying newfound passions. It does not happen overnight. (Here are suggestions for sophomores and juniors to get a head start on the process). Take time to reflect, project, and discuss ideas. Remember, it is not where you go it is what you do and how you grow when you get there!