Add colleges you're considering to your "Following" list in SCOIR
Complete Student Brag Sheet in SCOIR (under Surveys in the menu at the top right)
Have a parent/guardian complete the Parent Point of View (Parent Brag Sheet) in SCOIR (can be done in student account, or student can invite parent)
Come back in September with a core group of schools that will make up your college list (it's ok if it's not final).
Register for SATs and/or ACTs, if you plan to take them (August SAT registration deadline: July 28, but register ASAP because seats are hard to come by)
Relax, reset, and spend some time away from your computer!
Visit some college campuses in person
Start to pull together the requirements for each school (e.g. types of applications accepted, deadlines, how many letters of rec, special requirements, etc. the best place to find the most current info is on the university's admission website. Look for something like "How to Apply". Click here for the College Application Tracker, a spreadsheet you can modify for your needs)
Improve (or re-write) your main application essay. Here are some brainstorming exercises, if you need to start over. College Essay Guy (CEG) has the BEST free resources out there for essay writing, including supplements and school-specific essays (like the UCs).
Start working on your activities list. I like to work in Google Docs first. Here's a great resource to help you improve your list!
Create a Common Application account (assuming you're using Common) and start working on it. Between now and late July, you can create your account (students should use a PERSONAL email address) and work on the "Common App" tab. The application will go down for a few days at the end of July and will "rollover" to next year's application on or about August 1. The info you have on the "Common App" tab (and all its subsections) will save. The school-specific info on the "My Colleges" tab will be deleted. Do not get excited about supplement essays until after August 1 - they might change, so best to wait until August for those unless the school has announced their supplements for 2023 elsewhere, like on social media.
Activate your parent SCOIR account (I just pushed out an invite that will stay active for 7 days, just click on it to activate. If you didn't get it, it's possible your child did not activate their own SCOIR account. They should do that first, then your child can send you an invite through their student account)
Complete the Parent Point of View (Parent Brag Sheet) over the summer
Visit some college campuses in person
Have a few open and honest conversations with your child about parameters for their college search, including finances
Complete net price calculators for a few schools on your child's college list - especially if they are considering applying Early Decision (ED) (Pro Tip: Google: "collegename net price calculator")
Encourage and support your child through the application process, while resisting the (sometimes overwhelming) urge to do it for them :)
Pull together the requirements for each school (e.g. types of applications accepted, deadlines, how many letters of rec, special requirements, etc. the best place to find the most current info is on the university's admission web site. Look for something like "How to Apply". Click here for the College Application Tracker, a spreadsheet you can modify for your needs)
Improve (or re-write) your main application essay. Here are some brainstorming exercises, if you need to start over. College Essay Guy (CEG) has the BEST free resources out there for essay writing, including supplements and school-specific essays (like the UCs).
Work on your activities list. I like to work in Google Docs first. Here's a great resource to help you improve your list!