The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

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How to manage senior year

As the school year starts again and students get into the hang of balancing homework and social lives, seniors have the additional stress of preparing for and applying to college. Despite all the guidance from counselors, parents and teachers, it can be hard for students to keep everything straight.

Narrowing down a list of schools to apply to is a great first step. To help with making their decision, students are encouraged to visit and tour the schools they are interested in. Open houses often give the widest range of information, allowing students to visit most departments of a school. Private tours are also said to be very helpful for a more personal interaction with the school.

Once a student has chosen which schools they are going to apply to, ranking their list and deciding when to submit each application will help students avoid missing any deadlines. Applying to a first choice school early action or early decision gives students a better chance of being accepted and later having first access to certain things such as choosing class schedules. If students apply early decision and are accepted they must withdraw their applications from all other schools. Under early action students can still apply early to other schools and wait to make their final decision by the spring deadline.

Throughout this process communication between students and parents is imperative. Staying on the same page about the student’s top choices, grades, finances, applications, sending of transcripts and test scores may help families move easier through all these forms.

Even if students find they are not quite mentally prepared to write their college essays, it is suggested they at least begin to open and review what their applications ask for. In addition to the application forms most schools require students to submit their high school transcript, SAT/ACT scores, any AP exam scores and an application fee.

Due to complications with PowerSchool, seniors need to fill out a yellow form found in student services, with their parents to have their transcripts sent to schools of their choice. Test scores can only be sent from collegeboard.org and actstudent.org.

Though this is debatably the busiest time of senior year, looking for and applying to scholarships can be very beneficial to those who make time for it. As for everyone else it is highly recommended to at least complete the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form as soon as possible on or after January 1, 2014. The form, produced and processed by an office of the United States Department of Education, determines how much federal aid money students are eligible for. Based on that number students will receive a certain amount of money paid out of their college tuitions by the government.

The universal tool for eliminating stress senior year is time management. Students are encouraged to use an agenda for all the upcoming deadlines and organizing their schedules. Most of all, they are reminded to focus on themselves, budgeting their time to do what they love and what needs to be done.

 

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