Prepare Your Graduating Students for College

College Packet: Everything Seniors Need to Know about Applying for College

Your incoming class of seniors will soon be leaving the nest for new adventures. Many of them will take the college track. To help your senior students get ready to embark on their new educational journey, share some of these tips with them.

1. Early Acceptance – If your student has one college or university they are especially interested in, they might want to apply for Early Decision or Early Action. It is important for parents and teachers to discuss the pros and cons of this route early on in the school year so that students have time to prepare their applications.
2. Scholarships – Another factor your students will need to consider when going to college is finances. There are tons of scholarships available for just about any type of student. And every year, many scholarships go without reception for lack of applications. One site that can help students find a scholarship for them is FastWeb.
3. Financial Aid – Other financial aid may be necessary for some students. Educate them about the state grants and aid that may be available to them.
4. Transcripts – Make sure your students know that they can’t procrastinate when it comes to sending in their applications and transcripts. It does take some time for schools to send out and receive transcripts. So discussing that process with your seniors to make sure they get all their information out on time.
5. Big School vs. Little School – Different students will thrive in different types of environments. Go over the pros and cons of bigger schools versus smaller schools. That way each of your students will think about what kind of education they want. Check out U.S. News Education to learn more about different schools.

What is something you wish you knew before going to college?

What other advice do you have for graduating seniors? Let us know in the comments below.

About the Author
Carolina Fransen is the EdTech Apps and Tools Editor at SimpleK12.com. She writes regularly about the use of educational technology in K-12 classrooms, and she loves investigating teaching jobs in some of her favorite locales. If you have an app, tool, website, or service that you think we should know about, please send your information or tip to editor@simplek12.com.