The stressful process of submitting college apps is over for many seniors. Countless hours preparing for the ACT and the SAT are becoming a distant memory. Drafting, editing and rewriting college essays are in the past. Filling out forms about every aspect of one’s personal life is complete.

Now the waiting game begins. Yes, a large part of the work is done; however, now is not the time for seniors to give up and stop thinking about college till April. In order to be successful, seniors must consider what is left to do in the college application process. Here are some helpful tips to consider investing some time into:

• Checking Application Status: Many schools send an email notifying students that they have received their application. Often times these emails contain instructions about creating a student portal. The student portals are essential because the school can update it with information about what applicant still needs to submit, the materials the school has received, and status of the application. If this portal does not seem to be correct, do not stress out and contact the school. The Admissions Office is very busy this time of year. Colleges will often email you if your application is incomplete and will ask you to send in the required materials.
• Apply for Scholarships: College can be extremely costly. The best solution to bringing down the cost is scholarships. Many organizations offer scholarships to high school seniors with various qualifications. Although some of these scholarships may seem like a minimal amount, they begin to add up and can help a student avoid taking out a loan. The counseling office at YLHS offers flyers for students about scholarships with upcoming deadlines. Stop by to see what you could qualify for.
• Finishing Senior Year: Yes, senioritis is a real disease affecting many seniors. Now that college applications are submitted many students do not want to continue to try and earn good grades; however, it is essential to maintain good grades the entire senior year. Min Kim (12) stated “it is a challenge to find the motivation to keep up with high school work.” He is mainly focused on getting accepted into colleges. Most colleges ask the counselors to send in a mid year report. This report will include grades from the first semester of senior year. Giving up and receiving just passing grades can affect the acceptance process. Colleges acknowledge the courses seniors take and also want to see that they are continuing to perform well. Even after the first semester passes, grades are still extremely important. After graduating for high school, colleges will request a final transcript. If a senior does not maintain his/ her grades, then the college has the ability to withdraw its admissions to the student.

Although the majority of the work is completed for the college application process, seniors still have many things to complete. Good luck to our seniors!