Summer College Application Checklist: What Rising Seniors Should Be Doing Right Now

If you have a rising senior at home, I want you to take a breath.

Yes, the college application process is real. Yes, the deadlines are coming. But panic? Not necessary, at least not yet. 😊 I come to you with this summer college application checklist for rising seniors.

Here’s what I see every single year in my practice: families who wait until September to get serious, and then spend the entire fall feeling rushed, stressed, and reactive. And then there are the families who used summer intentionally, not frantically, and arrive at application season feeling organized, confident, and ready.

I know which family I want you to be.

The good news? If you’re reading this over the summer, you are right on time. So let’s get to it! Here’s exactly what your rising senior should be doing right now.

1. Get Serious About Your College List

If your student has a college list, great! Now ask yourself honestly: is it actually balanced?

A strong college list isn’t just a collection of school names your student has heard of, or schools that sound impressive at a dinner party. Instead, it’s a thoughtful mix of reach schools, possible schools, and likely schools that reflects who your student actually is: their academic profile, their interests, and what kind of college experience they’re really looking for.

Here’s what a balanced list looks like in practice:

• 3-5 Reach schools: dream schools where admission is competitive
• 4-5 Possible schools: schools where your student’s GPA and test scores are right in range
• 3-4 Likely schools: schools where your student is a genuinely strong candidate

Aim for 10-14 schools total. Any more than that and the process becomes unmanageable. Any fewer and you’re not giving yourself enough options come Decision Day.

Also, please make sure every school on that list actually offers the programs your student is interested in. You’d be surprised how often this gets overlooked! Not everyone is hip to this handy summer college application checklist for rising seniors 😉

Here in the Los Angeles area, we are so fortunate to have many excellent and very different types of colleges right in our backyard. Wherever you are, you may have wonderful campuses near you as well. If your student hasn’t visited any campuses yet, summer is a wonderful time to start, even just to get a feel for what they like. Check out my blog: Should we go on college campus tours?

Action step: Sit down together and honestly evaluate every school on the current list. Is it balanced? Does each school offer the right programs? Is there a mix of size, location, and campus culture?

2. Create Your Common App Account Now

The Common Application, the platform used by over 1,000 colleges and universities, opens officially on August 1. But here’s a little secret: your student doesn’t have to wait.

Rising seniors can create their Common App account right now and start filling in the basics: personal information, family background, extracurricular activities, and honors. None of this requires a finished essay. None of it requires a finalized college list. It just requires sitting down and starting. On August 1, when your student logs back in, Common App will ask them if they want to “roll over” their account, and their entire “My Common App” section will be saved.

Additionally, getting familiar with the platform over the summer means your student won’t be navigating it for the very first time in October when deadlines are staring them in the face. Trust me on this one, you do not want that to be the situation! 😊

Action step: Head to Common App, click on create an account, and spend 30 minutes filling in what you already know. That’s it! Bonus, add a few colleges and dive into that part of the Common App to be ready on August 1. Feel free to check out the majors offered, but be sure not to write any supplemental essays yet; these won’t be for your application season until August 1.

3. Start Thinking About the Personal Statement

Ahhhh, the dreaded personal statement. When a high schooler is faced with having to write something personal, they literally freeze.

Here’s the thing: the Common App personal statement doesn’t have to be as painful as everyone makes it out to be. It’s a maximum of 650-word essay, yes, but it’s a very different kind of essay from what your student has been writing in school. This one is personal. It’s a chance for your student to share a slice of who they are, something that isn’t captured anywhere else in their application.

I always tell my students: you don’t need to have saved a child from a burning building. You just need to be yourself, on paper. Every single student I have worked with has a story worth telling. Every. Single. One.

Furthermore, summer is the perfect time to start brainstorming. Not writing, not stressing, just thinking. What experiences have shaped your student? Which of their defining qualities would they want an admissions officer to know about that isn’t anywhere else in their application? What stories feel uniquely theirs? The goal of the personal statement is to share something personal about themselves that becomes part of the personal mosaic that is their college application.

Action step: Set a timer for 20 minutes and have your student jot down 5-10 possible essay topics without filtering or judging. Just brainstorm freely. You can narrow it down later, I promise! 🎓

4. Request Letters of Recommendation

Here’s something most families don’t realize until it’s too late: teachers get asked for letters of recommendation a lot. Especially the good ones. So the earlier your student asks, the better.

No college requires more than 2 academic letters of recommendation, but I advise thinking of at least 3 teachers. Have your student start with junior year, as these teachers know them well and can speak to their abilities in a specific subject. A thoughtful, personal request goes such a long way. Moreover, asking over the summer, before the school year even starts, puts your student miles ahead of the crowd.

Please don’t wait until September to do this! Teachers are wonderful, but they are also very busy. Give them the gift of time. They will appreciate it, and your student’s letter will be better for it.

Action step: Have your student identify 2-3 teachers they’d like to ask. Draft a warm, personal note to each one and get those requests in before September!

5. Sort Out Your Testing Strategy

If your student hasn’t taken the SAT or ACT yet, or wants to improve their scores, summer is a wonderful time to prepare. Fall offers several testing dates, and there is still time to fit one in.

Even if your student is applying to test-optional schools, it’s worth having a real conversation about whether submitting scores could strengthen their application. Test optional does not mean test irrelevant, and that’s an important distinction that many families miss. Having someone help you think through this strategy can make a real difference.

Action step: Look up SAT and ACT test dates for late summer, September, October, and November. If your student is planning to test, register now because spots fill up faster than you’d think!

The Bottom Line

I hope this summer college application checklist for rising seniors has helped you. Summer isn’t too early. It’s exactly right. Every step your rising senior takes now is one less thing to scramble for when September arrives and the pressure is very, very real.

And here’s what I want you to remember: you don’t have to figure this out alone. Neither does your student. Help is out there, and it’s okay to ask for it! 😊

Want the Complete Roadmap?

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Feel free to share this post with any rising senior families you know — the more families who have this information, the better!

Don’t hesitate to leave a comment or reach out with questions — I would love to hear from you! 😊

Happy Planning! 🎉

Arlette

Visit my website to see how I can help you! Grays Hall College Counseling