Monthly Topics

–Talk about your own college experiences. What did you like? What do you wish you knew? 

–What has your career path been like? Are there unique careers that might be worth exploring?

–What are their college must-haves, nice-to-haves, don’t-wants? Complete Corsava together or have them complete it on their own and talk about it later. 

–Log into College Planner Pro together to get a feel for the platform and learn how to use it for their college search. 

–Mention the National Society of High School Scholars to students -- avoid it! These pay-to-play organizations don't impress colleges.

–Start filling out the Application Organizer document, found in the mentor library. This spreadsheet can help students stay organized, and get a head start on their Common App.

–Encourage students to get as much done as possible this summer so that the beginning of the school year isn’t as stressful. 

–If they’re struggling with their essay, we can provide extra support through our community partners. 

–Work on finalizing their college lists, knowing that there may be some schools that visit with us that could be added later. Scholars should apply to at least one school (public or private) in Illinois. All lists need to be reviewed by Sara.

–Decide on their list of schools that they would like to meet with at OnSite. Check with Sara if you need help strategizing which schools to pick. 

-Remind students to attend college visits or fairs through their own high school counseling departments

-Applications, applications, applications. How are they going? Are there school-specific questions and essays that still need to be completed? 

–Prepare for OnSite interview with practice questions! 

–Talk about writing professional thank you notes for interviews (email is fine)

–Finish any non-OnSite applications that are due by 11/1

–FAFSA, FAFSA, FAFSA! Please be sure they’re completing it if they haven’t already. 

–Recap OnSite: how did they feel during interviews? Was there anything they weren’t prepared for? How can they be more prepared for future interviews?

–Make sure they’ve sent thank you notes to their OnSite interviewers. Emails are just fine.

–Start searching for outside scholarships to apply to; this can seem like an endless hole, so having a list of 10-15 to apply to will make it feel more manageable. 

–Finalize any applications that have a January deadline.

-Some college-specific scholarships will be due in December and January, before they've received an admissions decision. 

–More decisions should be coming out this month and next. 

–Collect financial aid packages and uploading them to College Planner Pro.

–Ask about admitted student events – are they signing up for these opportunities or visiting campuses? Can we support them in any way?

–Narrow down colleges and universities, and waiting on any other decisions

–Finalize any last outside scholarship applications

-Complete FAFSA verification, if needed

–Financial aid review recaps

–Contact colleges with any questions or concerns about attending (financial aid, housing, etc.)

-Draft financial aid appeal letters

-Visit campuses during Spring Break

Decision time!