7 Reasons to Start Working with a College Counselor this Summer

Starting early on your college plan will ensure that you’re on the right track before it’s time to apply. The earlier you start, the better you can maximize your chances of getting into your target schools.  Summer is a great time to work on your strategy with a college advisor.  Once school starts in the fall, demanding classwork and extra-curriculars will fill up your time once again. Working with a college advisor now can get you off to a great start and ease stress as you prepare for admissions.

Before school starts you can:

1. Make your college list and set goals. Start the school year with a balanced list of colleges you may want to attend. You’ll then know what grades you need to get, what classes you need to take, and what scores to aim for on standardized tests in order to be competitive. You’ll also have more time to take a good look at the colleges on your list and see if they are places you can see yourself attending.
2. Get a jump start on your Common Application and Resume. The sooner you get familiar with the Common App, the more comfortable with the process you’ll be.  Also, having a polished, up-to-date resume on hand will not only be valuable preparation for the college admissions process, but also for future summer program, scholarship, or internship applications. Starting early also means there is more time to review and check for mistakes.
3. Plan courses, extra-curriculars and summers to your advantage. Colleges want to see that you challenge yourself throughout high school. They also want to see that the activities you do both in and out of school add to your “story” and are relevant to your goals. Making sure your schedule meets all the requirements of your choice colleges is also critical.
4. Be prepared to request recommendations. You don’t want just any recommendations.  You want stellar ones.  And there are ways to maximize your chances of getting one.   One of our counselors from International College Counselors can teach you how best to present yourself to the people from whom you’re going to want recommendations.
5. Schedule campus visits and college tours. When it comes to visiting colleges, you and your parents will want to visit more than just the select schools you think you want to attend. Visits should include a range of schools from a large public research university to a small liberal arts school, from a big city school, to a school in a smaller town. This will give you a better idea of the school you’d fit best into.  Starting early means a college advisor can help you work college visits into family vacations or spread out the tours so all the schools don’t blur together.
6. Line up an internship and/or a job. Paid and unpaid jobs and internships make you look interesting to admissions officers, as well as provide invaluable personal and professional skills.
7. Lower the stress. Counselors at International College Counselors are working for you and with you.  We’ve been doing this for over 10 years and have helped hundreds of students get into schools from the Ivy League to the local colleges, and everything in between. We’ll help you every step of the way.

The college advisors at International College Counselors are available to help you. Please contact us with any questions you may have. Contact us today at 954 414-9986 or by emailing us at info@internationalcollegecounselors.com.