Your child’s college search is winding down, but they aren’t quite done yet. If your child will be attending college in the fall, here are five things that your child should be doing in the month of May.
1) Take the AP Exams.
AP exams are scheduled throughout the month of May. Ensure that your child is well-prepared for the tests and do the best they can.
Everyone understands that your child is exhausted at this point, but it is still essential to try to get the highest score possible. Make sure that your child’s AP scores are sent to the college that they will attend in the fall. You can do this through the College Board website.
2) Don’t Flake on Finals.
Make sure that your child studies for final exams. If you read the fine print on your intent to register letter, you may have noticed that the acceptance is contingent on final grades. This means that your child cannot bomb all of their final exams. Your child does not have to get straight A’s, but they do need to pass all of their classes. In recent years, colleges have begun to rescind college admission offers to students to let their grades tank. Don’t let that be your child.
3) Write Thank You Notes.
Your child should thank everyone who helped them with their college applications. In particular, make sure that they write a thank you note to each of their letter writers. If the college counselor helped out with references and transcripts, it’s a nice idea to drop them a thank you note as well.
Bear in mind that teachers and counselors do a tremendous amount of work to help students with their college applications. Many of them do this work on nights and weekends to help their students. Don’t forget to thank them. They helped your child immensely in the college search.
4) Athletes Contact the NCAA.
If your child has plans to play a NCAA Division I or Division II sport when they attend college, talk to the counselor and remind them to send the final transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center. All athletes are required to submit their final grades to this entity to ensure their eligibility to play a sport when they arrive at college in the fall. Check out the NCAA website for details.
5) If Your Child Was Not Accepted Anywhere, Make Plans.
Don’t worry if your child was not accepted at any four-year college or university.
Your child can still attend college, and they should not give up. Your child may still be able to attend a four-year college in the fall. In fact, US News and World report keeps a list of colleges still accepting students.
Or perhaps your child wants to take a different route. There are a few things your child should do.
First, make an appointment to talk with your high school counselor. They may have some ideas about colleges and universities that may still accept students on a rolling basis.
Second, consider taking a gap year. This is a year where your child spends time traveling or working as an intern before applying to college again in the fall.
Third, consider attending a local community college. If your child does choose to attend community college, make an appointment with
an advisor to discuss transfer possibilities to four-year universities.