HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR EMERGENCY PLAN
By: Belinda M. Gonzalez-Leon, Ed.D., MBA
Educational Consultant
It’s September, and your high school senior hasn’t applied to a single college? * PANIC * And you are worried because the Common Application opened back on August 1st? Plus, your student has a friend who was already accepted to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (because they applied back in July)? Take a deep breath and grab an adult beverage. Here is an emergency plan of what to do.
First, your student should apply to Miami Dade College and Florida International University immediately. Miami Dade College will always accept your student. FIU may not, but it’s the state university down the block. Both of these schools, if not their first choice, should be the “in case of emergency schools”. If your student’s dream is to attend the University of Florida, that’s fine, but you can always have FIU in your back pocket in case something goes wrong.
Second, are the colleges your student is applying to requiring essays? No? Skip to step 3. They do need an essay? The essay needs to get done – now. The college essay is submitted via the Common Application, the application that students use to apply to college, and it requires a maximum of 650 words with various topics to choose from. For many students, the essay is the deciding factor of why a college chooses them. Students need to take their time and write a good one. Be sure to get a teacher’s assistance on it before uploading it into the Common App.
Step three: The student should create a Common Application account and fill it in as much as possible. Make a list of information that is still missing. Need contact information for a recommendation letter? Need to figure out weighted versus unweighted GPA? Still haven’t finished the essay? Get everything done on the pending list ASAP so that it can be submitted. Remember, there are other people that need to contribute to the application, too, and the student is at their mercy.
The next step is to create an Excel spreadsheet and list all the colleges your student is applying to. Use the school webpage to determine the application deadline. Read carefully because there are different deadlines based on how the student intends to apply. Remember, the earlier the student applies, the better the chance of being accepted. With a list of deadlines, the student now has a timeline. Plan out on a calendar when everything must be submitted with plenty of time to spare.
The other time-sensitive item is testing. Has your student finished with SAT/ACT/CLT testing? If not, look carefully at the upcoming test dates and decide when your student can take the exam. Keep in mind that colleges have specific deadlines to submit test scores. The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship allows testing until the end of the school year.
Final reminder: The main essay may be done but be sure your student completes any supplemental essays. Supplemental essays are shorter but required essay answers to specific questions. Some schools have one; others may have several. These are just as important and are used to learn who the student is and if they are a good fit for the school. Now, take a deep breath and just do your best. It will all work out. Trust me.