September Admission Advice: Applications not on your radar yet? That's OK!

Via Teusje, and, of course, Disney Worldwide.

September is always a strange month for me. It's not really summer anymore, but the soft fuzzy glow of three months of beautiful weather and greatly decreased responsibility has yet to fade (and the angry red glow has yet to fade from my overexposed shoulders).

• The good news: the NAIA soccer season has started (go Mariners!), and football--glorious, amazing, lovely football--is back on T.V. Life is good.
  
• The bad news: life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.
  
• The mitigating news: that's probably a good thing. Complicated can be fun. 

In the admission world, September is a crazy month of launching our recruitment travel (look for us in a cafeteria/college center near you!), making sure our new students are settling in, and prepping to receive all the new applications.

In your world (assuming you're a high school senior) it's likely even crazier. The beginning of your last year of high school is a heady event. You're most likely adjusting to new classes, marveling at how young the freshmen look this year, cheering on your sports team (or lamenting their poor performance...), and planning for Homecoming. Most likely the last thing on your radar is, ironically, the only thing on our radar: college application season.

...And that's OK.

Gasp! The college admission dude said it's OK to not have college applications at the top of my list! Shenanigans!

But it really is OK.

A: I'm a realist. I was once a senior, too.
B: Applying to college, like your senior year, is a long, complex process. Both will be stressful. Both will be rewarding. Both are best if taken at the right pace and approached with a serious, yet calm attitude. That's what we advocate: pace yourself and the whole thing will be easy. Fun, maybe (we can dream).

So, below are the college admission steps to check off in September so you can otherwise enjoy this glorious month--and the rest of your senior year.

1. Make a list of colleges that you initially think you'd like.
   
2. When that's complete, make two more lists: characteristics you really want in a college (i.e. size,  location, academic reputation, etc.) and characteristics that would be deal-breakers (These should be completely separate from the list of colleges you made). Then, set up an appointment with your college counselor, bring your lists, and have her/him give you some expert advice.
   
3. [Optional] Sign up for a college search resource. They can do a lot of the matching work for you, and often can introduce you to great-fit schools that you might have missed otherwise. We highly recommend the folks at Cappex.
   
4. Go to the websites of schools that you like. Sign up for a tour of their campus and/or give them your email address so they can start to send you information. You can do that for Marymount here.
   
5. Read the emails colleges send you. Many will offer perks (At Marymount we will often waive the application fee) for students who show early interest.

That's it for now. The important thing is to start getting information so you'll know where to apply over the next few months. And, of course, enjoy the month! 

Keep your eyes peeled for next month's installment: October: Pick out Your Halloween Costume and Start Your Applications!