Welcome back, class of 2026! I hope you all had a great summer! But, as the school year begins, we must start preparing to apply to colleges, universities, and scholarships. This guide will help you start planning your senior year. Although it is just the beginning of September, we have a couple of things to do before it ends. We must start looking at colleges and universities of our choice, creating a Common Application account, looking into scholarships, all while making sure we keep our grades up and our Naviance tasks on point.
One of the first things seniors should look at is the colleges or universities they would like to apply to. Seniors, make a list: what are the requirements to apply, how much is the application fee, and when is the deadline to apply? Try to finalize this list in September. As the school year progresses, keep adding to this list, or removing if you decide, but always keep important deadlines written down.
Before September starts rolling out, seniors, make sure to have completed the Common App. The Common App is a widely known website that will help students apply to colleges/universities in an organized, efficient, and quick manner. It consists of 5 major parts: creating an account, entering personal information (test scores, activities, family, etc), selecting colleges/universities of your choice, additional requirements (e.g., essay), and finally submitting this application information to the colleges/universities.
Do you guys know what is also due in September? Many scholarships! Make an account on scholarships.com; this website will show you deadlines to scholarships personalized to you! Currently, The QuestBridge (due September 15), The Gates (due September 30), and Coca-Cola (due September 30) scholarships are now open! Take a look at their requirements to apply, and if you qualify, apply!
For many college/university applications and even scholarships, an essay and a letter of recommendation are required.
September is the ideal month to get both of these done. Start drafting an essay, and finalize it as soon as possible. Essay topics can be difficult, so have a list of topics for that as well. Topics can vary widely, with many people writing from traumatic experiences, to moments of great happiness in their life; but the most important thing you should keep in mind is that the topic must relate to you, and how it has shaped you as a person.
During this month, you should start asking teachers for letters of recommendation.
But, teachers are not the only people you can ask for letters; if you have volunteered at a place multiple times, or participated in an internship, you can most certainly ask them for a letter if you consider/ed them as a mentor.
These are just a couple of things I believe to be some of the most important tasks to complete before September ends. But keep in mind that there are also tasks within school, such as maintaining reasonable grades and doing all our Naviance tasks.
Any questions related to colleges/universities, reach out to your counselor, teacher, or follow social media accounts such as “Next Admit” to stay on top of your priorities for senior year. But very importantly as well…
Do not miss out on senior year activities; make sure to stay on top of all of these tasks, as well as making sure you have fun!
Go to homecoming, perhaps a couple of football games. Good luck, class of 2026!
