One more year . . . one last time for the activities of childhood . . .
one last chance to be a 24/7 role model for our children . . . it will
never be the same again . . . if I don’t say it now, chances are it
won’t ever get said . . . if I don’t do it now, I may never have another
chance. Though the senior year has plenty of “To Do” lists, you simply
must take the time to cherish the moment. Trust me.
Final Testing
If we have planned well, all the college entrance testing will have been
completed by the summer of the junior year. However, sometimes we get
behind or we need to re-test. Be aware that the October test date is the
last one accepted if your student applies early action to a college
(applications usually due mid-November). December is usually the last
test date for Regular Action applications (usually due January 1).
It is not a good idea for students to cram all three SAT Subject tests
into this last test date or to take their SAT for the first time here.
This is almost always a disaster! Plan well ahead so the senior year is
not frantic.
The College Application Process
Ideally, college applications are completed the summer before the senior
year, but most of us don’t get everything finished by then. So, we have
to lean heavily on the scheduling skills we learned the sophomore year
and honed to perfection by the end of the junior year.
Using blank calendar pages, schedule in everything that has to be done:
- final research on college options
- attending college information sessions
- scholarship applications
- phone calls to admission offices for clarification on homeschool
student applications or fine art requirements
- essay writing
- preparing the transcript
- developing the school profile and transcript legend
- writing the counselor letter
- doing the research about each college for your teacher recommenders
and giving them stamped, addressed envelopes for each college
- filling out online applications for each college
- filling out financial aid forms for each college
- filling out scholarship applications for each college
- submitting test scores (both SAT/SAT Subject tests and AP tests to
each college
- recording music for fine art supplements or compiling artistic
portfolios (if needed)
- submitting the secondary school report
- submitting the fine art supplement (if needed)
- submitting the midyear report
- submitting the final school report
The list is truly daunting and most of it has to happen before January
1st. That is why it is so helpful to get a head start by beginning your
work mid-summer when colleges update their websites with the current
applications, time lines, and essay topics.
Interviews
We also want to allow time for practicing college interviews. Some
interviewers will meet you at a local coffee shop, some at a restaurant
for dinner, and some will come to your home. During Austin’s senior
year, we had just moved into an old farmhouse and were in the middle of
re-modeling when an interviewer called and insisted on conducting the
interview in our home! So, be forewarned. These don’t take up huge
amounts of time, but must be planned in advance and rehearsed. See
Austin’s complete article about interviewing in PHS # 73.
College Visits
Many people recommend a college tour to visit all the colleges you are
interested in. We thought this was necessary and made the huge sacrifice
to make the cross-country trip after my son’s junior year. He even spent
six weeks one summer at MIT and thought he knew the atmosphere of the
school. He was shocked when he returned for a freshman preview weekend
during the school year when the campus was crowded and the weather was
gray and dismal. Even his visit to Caltech gave him a faulty image of
the school. However, he made the decision to go there despite the
initial negative impression he got of campus life. It has turned out to
be a good fit for him.
We have come to the conclusion as a family that college visits can be
postponed. If you are traveling through the area, by all means visit
prospective campuses. If money is not an issue, the full-fledged college
trip is fun and you may be able to eliminate some colleges from your
list. But, if finances are tight, there is another way. If you are
applying to a number of highly competitive colleges, realistically you
will not be accepted at all of them. Therefore, it is possible to wait
until after you receive acceptance letters to visit those particular
schools or maybe even narrow it further and just visit your top choices
to find the best fit. Be aware that a few top schools will actually pay
for your plane ticket to visit them during admitted student weekends if
you are financially needy. Don’t plan on it, but know that the
possibility exists.
The real scoop about campus is found during the overnight stay that is
offered to pre-frosh (admitted students). Most schools have preview
weekends where students can spend the night in the dorm, eat in the
cafeteria, talk to others in their major, and really get a feel for the
campus. However, be aware that a few days at the school will still not
give you the whole picture of what life is like on that campus. There is
just no reliable way to know a school until you live and study there.
The final decision can be a difficult one for students that have a
number of good choices. My daughter was agonizing over her top two
schools when a wise professor told her, “Natalie, just turn off your
brain and go with your gut.” Sure enough, when she walked onto the
campus that she eventually chose, she felt she had come home. Attending
classes and visiting with students confirmed that her gut reaction was
indeed right.
When doing early planning for the senior year, be forewarned that
December will be spent in completing applications, which are due January
1 and April will be spent visiting colleges to make the final choice by
May 1. Plan school accordingly.
Senior Year Classes
It is important for your student to keep up their grades and to continue
taking rigorous classes. Both my students continued taking difficult
classes, but wanted to go deeper and thus chose to take fewer subjects.
The load also seemed lighter because of the absence of all the extra
testing. They also knew that they needed substantial time for all the
college application activities as well as time to watch the sunsets and
smell the roses before leaving home for good. The senior year for my
kids was a bit of a respite before they moved on to pursue truly
demanding degrees at top colleges.
Make Time to Celebrate
Because of the arduous nature of the last few years of high school, we
looked for ways to celebrate. For example, after my daughter received
her very last standardized test score and knew everything was fine, we
built a bonfire to burn the huge pile of test prep books. She gleefully
ripped pages out and flung them into the fire! Afterwards, we toasted
marshmallows and made s’mores. We also took time to have daily rituals
like afternoon tea or occasional celebrations like eating out with
grandparents after her orchestra concerts. Extended family also need
time for closure as they let go of young people headed off to change the
world.
Inventory Skills
This year is your last chance to take inventory and see if there are any
skills your children need that somehow got missed in the busyness of
homeschooling. Does your son know the intricacies of stain removal and
laundry techniques? What about ironing his shirts? If your children will
take a car to college, do they know how to change a flat, check the
tires for wear, or know the maintenance schedule of their vehicle? Are
they financially astute and know how to pay bills, responsibly use
credit cards, and deal with insurance issues? Does your daughter know
how to protect herself in parking lots, airports, and public places? Do
they know how to safeguard themselves from and treat various illnesses?
These questions become very important if your children will be far from
home. This is also the time to make sure that Mom and Dad know how to
run the computer and DVD player!
Transitioning to College
If we have done our job well, by the end of their senior year our
children should be ready to face the world squarely and make their own
decisions. While my son has chosen to call me daily, it was not a
requirement I placed on him. He has decided not to pursue recreational
dating, but that was not by parental mandate. I find it troubling when
parents monitor the Facebook and e-mail accounts of their adult
children. We have had them in our presence constantly for the past 18-19
years. If we have not captured their respect and their heart by this
point, long lists of rules, furtive spying, and screeching admonitions
over the phone will not help. From infancy, I expected my children to be
responsible and a mutual respect has formed that is daily easing this
transition in our lives. I am thankful for the gentle changeover.
Jeannette Webb has worked with high school students for over 25 years.
Jeannette teaches “Homeschooling Through High School” seminars and is a
college coach dedicated to helping homeschool students matriculate to
America’s top colleges. She can be reached through
aiminghigherconsultants.com.
