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Bringing It Home – The Saint Rose Blog

Getting Ready for College Senior Year

Woman with backpack

You’re just a high school kid, but people keep calling you a “rising senior” and asking what you “plan to do.” But it’s summer and your thoughts largely center on asking to use the car, getting to work, a friend’s house, or the beach. What’s with all the questions?

By now you have a stock answer: “Going to college to study marine biology.” Then, thoughts of marine life disappear.

But life is knocking at the door, and, when you’re not ignoring what everyone calls your “future plans,” you realize you have done a good deal toward that goal:

In the past year or so you have prepared for college by:

  • Deciding you want a really big school in a major city hopping with activity OR a small college with a tight-knit community, where professors know what makes you tick
  • Not knowing where you want to work for the rest of your life, but identifying some programs you are excited about, be it accounting, cybersecurity, or marine biology
  • Visiting a campus or two you loved — and one or two you thought about sneaking away from during your tour (not ours, we hope!)

Take stock of what you do know about your college search and map out these next steps:

  • Think about campuses you’ve seen and cross those that don’t appeal off your list (a great way to get rid of all that college mail)
  • Spend some time on Naviance, Cappex, RaiseMe, or whatever search service you use to see what schools might be a good fit with your personality, grades, and interests
  • Put off senioritis as long as you can — colleges want to see you work for four years of high school
  • SATs (to retake or not) whether or not you are going test-optional — and Saint Rose is test-optional — your guidance counselor can tell you if your scores will wow your favorite schools or is it worth another shot (a higher score can boost your financial aid award)
  • Keep in touch: Admissions folks want to hear from you — especially Matt Stabler — it makes them feel good and gets you noticed
  • Have you seen a campus or two you love? Plan a second visit and perhaps visit those nearby that were not on the earlier sweep (you can schedule a visit to Saint Rose with our visit concierge)
  • Apply to college(s)! You can apply to Saint Rose online at strose.edu/apply or through the Common App
  • File your FAFSA at fafsa.gov and wait for your financial aid package to arrive (once you are accepted)! To receive an award from Saint Rose, make sure to enter our school code: 002705

At Saint Rose, our admissions counselors are happy to guide you through all or one of these next steps. Even if you’re looking for a boost of confidence or reassurance, they have got your back! Contact an admissions counselor at admit@strose.edu or call us at 518-454-5150.

What do you think?

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