Seniors: August Advice from Johns Hopkins

Greg (& I) get a bunch of unsolicited email and snail mail from colleges. I think one of us must have checked a 'yes, please send us tons of spam' checkbox as part of PSAT registration, or something like that. One day I'll count how much we've received, but I'm sure its many hundreds of messages. Most of them are from colleges we don't care about and they just get filed away. Every once in awhile they come from a school of interest, or have some good advice. We received just such an email from Johns Hopkins yesterday that has valuable advice for Seniors. Here it is:

August: Calm Before the Storm

Your senior year is going to be a whirl of activities. Everything you do this year will be geared toward two things: getting accepted to college and graduation. This month might be your last chance to quietly explore your educational options without the pressure of monthly decision-making, application writing, and examination taking. Use your time well.

Get organized. If you haven't done it yet, cut your list of schools down to around eight or 10. Look carefully at each one, matching it against your goals and capabilities. Which schools have majors that reflect your interests? Which ones look like a good fit for financial and scholarship support? Where do you feel like you could be happy?

Get started completing applications so you don't have to do it this fall. Some deadlines for scholarships (school-based and independent) are coming up fast in September and October. Get your résumé in great shape. Every application, scholarship application, and special recognition program will want a copy.