Hi, Reader!

May (and summer vacation!) are just around the corner, and things are ramping up. Both of my kids are prepping for finals, and my essay students are gearing up for AP exams, followed quickly by their own finals.

I know that doesn't leave a lot of time for college planning right now. And that's OK. But once you get a little breathing time, here are some things you can consider doing to get the most out of your summer.

9th-graders

• ​Build an awesome summer reading list: Start with picks from this recommended list for excellent teen reads. And consider asking your teachers what their favorite reads were in high school.
• ​NYT Writing Prompts for Students: If you haven’t already, start keeping a journal and use some of these questions as inspiration.

10th-graders

• ​Build an awesome summer reading list that includes some biographies and memoirs: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is a must-read and can be found at your local library.
• ​100 Brave/Interesting Questions + NYT Writing Prompts for Students: Commit to keeping a journal this summer, and use some of these questions as inspiration.

11th-graders

• ​Values Exercise (video): Spend some time thinking about your core values by working through this simple exercise. Your answers may help drive how you spend your summer ahead.
• ​How to research colleges without visiting a campus: Learning more about colleges is an exciting and time-intensive process. Make sure to expand your search beyond your local public universities—and use your values as a guide.
• ​Colleges That Change Lives: As you build your college list, consider this set of 44 schools that focus on providing a personalized, student-centered experience. Listen to this podcast, and check out upcoming events.
• ​Explore colleges with 800+ lists: Use this fun online, searchable database from CollegeXpress, which covers everything from academic environments to school spirit.
• ​Think about financial fit: Experiment with the Net Price Calculator to get a rough estimate of what you might likely have to pay for college.
• Consider when you’ll write your personal statement. You can join Ethan Sawyer (the College Essay Guy) live June 18-July 9 or on-demand at your own pace in his “How to Write a Personal Statement” course. Use code JULIA10 for 10% off.

12th-graders

• Continue applying for scholarships. Check in with your counselor to see whether there are any local scholarships you might have missed.
• ​Appeal financial aid: Read up on what to do if your financial aid offer doesn’t line up with your budget. And make sure to listen to this podcast before writing an appeal letter.
• ​Make your final college choice: It’s decision time. You need to enroll and submit a deposit by May 1st (or a few days after, depending on the school).

There’s a lot to do, but the good news is that there’s also plenty of time in which to do it all … as long as you make a plan.

Oh, I started brainstorming my own personal statement last week in a College Essay Guy workshop I'm participating in, and I just wrote my "crappy first draft" for one of my topics. Want to follow along and see what it looks like to brainstorm, write, and edit a personal statement in three weeks? Check out my live blog here! I've got a long way to go until the final product, but I want to show you that it doesn't have to be as hard as you may think it is!

Have a great rest of April, and I’ll see you next week!

Happy Writing!

Julia

julia@essay-coach.com | ​Schedule a Consult | View My Resources | Become an Affiliate​

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