As the 2021-22 school year gets underway, many educators are looking not only at their academic plans for the year, but at their students’ upcoming college applications. What does the application cycle look like for your students? How can you help them? What are some factors in the application process you should be keeping in mind as the school year progresses? Let’s have a look:

College Lists

Your senior students will likely have already given a lot of thought to their college lists. They will have picked a variety of schools (match, likely, reach) to apply to, and will be working towards finishing their applications in time for the late autumn deadlines. This means your first-semester seniors, and second-semester juniors later on in the year, are likely to have a lot on their plates—and you should be prepared for them to come to you with questions about the schools they’re applying to, as you’ve been through application cycles before.

Remember to speak to them about the financial aspects of college and the importance of having a “financial safety school” they’re sure they can afford. They can find that through the Department of Education’s resources, including the FAFSA4caster. Finances are the number-one reason students drop out of college, and you can be one of your students’ best sources of financial advice in their college planning process.

Test Days and Score Days

Your students will be taking the SAT/ACT their junior year, and possibly again their senior year. Even as many schools switch to test-optional models, sometimes temporarily as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the SAT/ACT remains an important part of any college applications. In addition to any test prep help you may be offering them, be aware of when their test days are and when they’ll be receiving their scores. This will also help set you up for a second round of test prep in the case of students who got a disappointing score the first time and want to retake the test. In the event of a disappointing score, you may also want to offer tips on how to conquer test anxiety, or focus test prep around a specific, particularly challenging area.

Letters of Recommendation

Many of your students may ask you for letters of recommendation. This can be a little overwhelming! Don’t be afraid to only say “yes” to students you’re confident you can do justice to in your letter. And be sure to keep track of the relevant due dates, deadlines, and means of sending the letters—these can vary from school to school, and pose particularly thorny concerns when students are applying to a long list of colleges.

Due Dates and Deadlines

On the subject of due dates and deadlines, you and your students will be very aware of these. Each college has its own set of due dates, deadlines, and expected return times for applications. For schools offering rolling admissions, where applications are reviewed as soon as they’re received, getting your students to get their applications in as quickly as possible is paramount, but even on a traditional “hard deadline” model, it’s important to make sure your students are leaving enough time in their schedules for both schoolwork and their applications. Your awareness makes you a great accountability partner—and one more person leading your students to success!

Decision Day(s)

Decision Day is the exciting conclusion of any application cycle—your students will be choosing which college to attend. For many, this will mean picking from a variety of options, and weighing academic, social, and financial considerations. While your students need to make this decision for themselves, it’s important to let them know you’re always there to talk or offer advice. You helped them so much on their college application journey—and now you’ll help them see it through on their road to college itself!

A-List is experienced in partnering with educators, schools, and nonprofits to ensure all students' success. Contact us to learn more.