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Mawr Insight: The Summer Before Senior Year

by Nichole Reynolds, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions
"There鈥檚 a lot you can do the summer before senior year to prepare for the college application cycle. And trust me, when you鈥檙e in the swing of the school year, you鈥檒l be glad you did!"

"There鈥檚 a lot you can do the summer before senior year to prepare for the college application cycle. And trust me, when you鈥檙e in the swing of the school year, you鈥檒l be glad you did!"

As summer begins, tune in for our blog series "Mawr Insight" featuring tips from our team on the admissions process. First up, our Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Nichole Reynolds shares her guide to making the most of the summer before your senior year.

Nichole Reynolds

The end of junior year often comes with the realization that the college search process is going to be, well, a whole lot of work. It entails research and deadlines and spreadsheets. It necessitates engagement with your college counselor, admission representatives, and likely some It requires you to fill out application and financial aid forms, document your activities, and write essays that showcase your most authentic self. So what鈥檚 the best way to approach this considerable task? My advice would be to make full use of the time between now and the start of senior year.

Here's How:

The takeaway? There鈥檚 a lot you can do the summer before senior year to prepare for the college application cycle. And trust me, when you鈥檙e in the swing of the school year, you鈥檒l be glad you did!

Now is the time to do some research and identify the constellation of 12-15 schools you鈥檇 like to look into further. The work of researching colleges should start with a mix of the approaches below: 

  • Set up conversations with your counselor, parents and/or mentors 鈥 what qualities do they see in your best fit schools? 
  • Attend local college fairs to get a feel for the variety of schools on offer.
  • Consult some of the more frequently used college search tools, like , , and .  
  • Explore the online and social media presence of potential schools.

If you鈥檙e thinking 鈥淗ow do I know what I鈥檓 looking for?鈥 you鈥檙e not alone. Here are some good guiding questions to support you through the research phase of the college search process: 

  • Does this school have the major I鈥檓 interested in (if you know 鈥 it鈥檚 perfectly OK not to!)? 
  • Does this school鈥檚 approach to learning 鈥 small, discussion-based classes versus large lecture-style classes 鈥 resonate with me?  
  • Is the campus geographically located somewhere I could see myself living for four years?
  • How selective is this school, and are my academic qualifications aligned with the students they tend to admit? Tip: search 鈥渃lass profile鈥 on each of the school鈥檚 websites to see the academic profile of last year鈥檚 incoming class. Ideally, your final list is comprised of 1/3 鈥渞each鈥 schools (schools whose admit rate means chances of admission are slim for anyone), 1/3 鈥渢arget鈥 schools 鈥 schools with a 45-70% admit rate where your stats put you solidly in the scope of their class profile 鈥 and 1/3 鈥渟afety鈥 schools, which are less selective 
  • Do I see myself reflected in representations of this school鈥檚 community, either in-person or online?  
  •   

Once you鈥檝e got a college list you鈥檙e feeling good about, you鈥檒l want to engage more deeply with those schools.

  • 鈥 and then actually read the materials and emails they send. Is the message still resonating? What content in those emails further sparks your curiosity?
  • You鈥檒l also want to look for , or college fairs and panels near you where those schools will be represented. What questions do you want to pose to these schools that you didn鈥檛 find answers to on their website? 

Do not underestimate how time-intensive the writing components of applying to college will be. Best to get a jump on this before the school year begins 鈥 you鈥檒l be glad you did come January!  

鈥 the admission application platform supported by most institutions in the U.S. 鈥 opens on August 1. Add your schools of choice in the Common Application to see what supplemental essays or other materials you might need. This is a good time to start a spreadsheet if you haven鈥檛 already. Lay out each school鈥檚 application deadline, supporting materials required, and the essay prompts to which you鈥檒l need to respond. Do some writing 鈥 or at the very least, some sound brainstorming 鈥 about what topics you鈥檒l take up and how you鈥檒l develop your ideas. 

This is also the best time to talk with your parents about college cost, which understandably drives many college decisions. A few things to know there: 

  • Don鈥檛 keep potential fit colleges off your list because of the advertised price of attendance. A college鈥檚 鈥渟ticker price鈥 is not the price most students pay. While financial aid packages vary widely based on a family鈥檚 socioeconomic picture, institutions like 魅影直播 meet the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted students through a combination of some loan, grants, and merit awards, as applicable. The average first-year financial aid package at 魅影直播 included $61,609 in support 鈥 a significant portion of our sticker price! 
  • The 鈥 a college cost estimate tool 鈥 is your friend. It takes about an hour to complete and provides an estimate of what you and your family can expect to contribute to your college education at a given institution. 

The aim of this financial aid exploration and open conversation is to have a realistic picture of what you might pay and what your family can reasonably afford. This will curb disappointment down the line.

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