Use the Summer to Do College Application Prep

The students at Pro-Vision Academy charter school in Houston, TX are encouraged to pursue all their educational opportunities. Many of our students never even consider college to be an option until our coaches show them that it is a real possibility if they put in the work.

Soon to be college seniors and juniors can make the best use of their summer by prepping for college applications. It’s the perfect time to start getting everything you need together so there’s less to worry about when school starts back in the fall.

Get Recommendation Letters Together

Recommendation letters can go a long way to helping you get accepted into the school of your choice. During the summer your Pro-Vision teachers and/or coaches will likely have more time to write up a recommendation so it’s a great time to reach out and see if they can help. Other people to tap for recommendation letters include managers at work, church leaders and people that oversee your volunteer service.

Do College Test Prep

Whether you’re taking the SAT or the ACT, you’ll want to get the best score possible before applying to colleges. During the summer while you don’t have regular classes, you can focus on prepping for these standardized tests and also schedule a time to take them. Make sure to look up the required minimums for the colleges at the top of your list as well as any additional testing that they require.

Do Community Service

Colleges are looking for well-rounded students that not only excel academically but also participate in extracurricular activities. Community service looks especially good on your college applications, so use the summer months to find a cause that you care about and start volunteering.

Take Additional Classes

You can use the summer months to begin taking one or two college courses or get caught up with any required high school courses that you haven’t taken yet. Taking a few college courses while you’re still in high school looks great on applications, because it shows you take higher education seriously. However, they are advanced compared to high school courses, which is why starting a course during summer is ideal since you can put all your focus on the college class.

Your high school counselor can provide assistance by helping you select additional course work and provide information on all of your options. It may be too late to sign up for summer courses, but you can still start planning for the fall. You may be able to take a college course in place of a high school class or enroll in AP courses to receive college credits.

Start Writing Your College Essay

Some colleges will require that students turn in a college essay with their application. This is often one of the most time-consuming and stressful parts of the application process. If you begin writing your essay in the summer you’ll have a great head start and plenty of time to polish it up before applications are due in the fall.

Visit College Campuses

Summers are a great time to visit colleges in and around Houston. Visiting college campuses is an important part of deciding where you want to apply. You can’t get a real feel for the campus culture until you see it for yourself. A few colleges to visit during the summer include Rice University, Texas A&M, Texas State and the University of Texas.

Being this close to college application time can be stressful. But if you use your summer wisely you can do a lot to make your application more appealing and improve your chances of being accepted to schools.

Image Source: psu.edu/academics

Original Source: http://www.provision-inc.org/college-tips/use-summer-college-application-prep/