How College Counselor Can Help You Get Ahead 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 counselor. Once school starts in the fall, demanding classwork and extra-curriculars will fill up your time once again. Working with a college counselor now can get you off to a great start and ease stress as you prepare for admissions.
College counselors at Quest for success provide expert guidance in building strong applications, selecting the right universities, and managing deadlines effectively. By starting this journey during the summer, students can reduce stress, gain clarity, and stay ahead in the college admissions process.
How College Counselors Help You Prepare
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.
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.
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.
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 Quest for Success can teach you how best to present yourself to the people from whom you’re going to want recommendations.
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.
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. Counselors at Quest for Success are working for you and with you. We’ve been doing this for over 12 years and have helped thousands 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.
Quality Over Quantity Always Wins
Don’t just list 15 things on your application. Colleges abroad prefer students who go deep in a few meaningful activities rather than dabble in many.
unlock your future - insider secrets to building a winning profile for top universities
Conclusion
Partnering with experienced college counselors during the summer offers students the advantage of structured planning, expert insights, and personalized strategies for success. Instead of rushing through applications later in the year, students can use this time to strengthen their profiles and focus on long-term goals.
At Quest for Success, we are committed to supporting students every step of the way with professional counseling tailored to individual aspirations. Starting now ensures that you enter the upcoming academic year prepared, confident, and ready to achieve your college dreams.
