college prep: my senior timeline & scholarship tips.

studying for my college spanish class

welcome back to the blog :) as a part two of my high school advice, i wanted to share with you my tips for staying on top of things senior year. everyone talks about senior fun stuff, graduation & college plans, but no one really preps you for all the behind-the-scenes work that happens your last year of high school. i wish we talked about this all more in school because sometimes it can be hard to know when to start applications, where to find scholarships, etc. if you like to be prepared and on top of things (like me), i hope this post helps you know what to expect for your junior & senior year, giving you some advance notice:)

for some background, i am going to byu in the fall, which is out of state (utah) & has a somewhat unique (long) application and scholarship. obviously if you're not going to byu things might be a bit different, but i think the tips will apply no matter what you plan to do after high school.

junior year: 

• job shadow!!

• tour & research unis

• work hard at extracurriculars

• plan senior pics (summer, photographer, dates)

• make college money plan/spreadsheet to get a visual of where your tuition money is coming from & what you need to earn, make through scholarships, etc.

• do NOT opt-in to student seach on collegeboard! they spam you with emails for ages

junior year summer

• senior pics

• apply to college

• ask for rec letters for college apps if needed

• research scholarships (local are best !! search for your niche / career)

• apply for scholarships (& plan out fall ones to apply for)

senior year fall 

• apply to scholarships !

• finish applying for college

• look at scholarships offered by your school (byu one has three essays so start it early!)

winter

• apply for more scholarships 

• when you commit, make sure to check your uni email regularly !! to pick housing etc (it sounds obvious but it's true)

• explore majors and minors 

• reach out to roommates if you’re finding one

• byu scholarship due in december, start EARLIER THAN LATER it takes so long

spring 

• plan grad party if having one, invite people eventually (sooner the better)

• send out grad announcements (if you want to)

• keep applying to scholarships 

• research classes & professors, make sure to register for more classes than you need in case you get waitlisted (i wish i had added more classes because you can drop them later)

• make a two year plan for classes (look ahead to see what you need later to just get a better picture)

• check your uni email to pay for housing deposits, etc 

• make travel plans if going out of state (booked my flight, picked a move-in time)

summer 

• plan out dorm decor, kitchen supplies, etc (go thrifting!! don't buy everything full price!)

• write thank you notes for scholarships & grad party gifts (if applicable)

• make money :D

my tips for scholarships:

1. find local scholarships where you have the biggest chance of winning: local businesses, charity groups, etc. i got ones from american legion auxiliary, dar, & the lions club. if your high school school has a scholarship application, make sure you do it early & well. we have an amazing one here that has over ninety scholarships, so i got ones from there. super grateful.

2. search for your profession. my mom found me an educator one that also has a overall senior scholarship as well. see if your area has wirsa or something similar, it is an awesome one here! even if you don't know 100% what you want to do, look! there are a lot of super unique scholarships out there waiting to be taken.

3. apply to the byu scholarship if you can, it's the best one out there as far as i know.

4. i personally wouldn't apply to huge ones such as nhs scholarship or elks most valuable student. i did & i didn't get them & they took a lot of time. it's all a gamble, but if they take more time than your chance of winning, find better ones :)

5. but also apply to lots!! someone is going to win, so it might as well be you :D

6. make a google doc with all your scholarships to keep track & put their due dates on your calendar & when you should start them (always plan more time than you think).

7. keep everything you write for scholarships & applications on a google doc so you can reuse it! i reused/slightly edited all the stuff i wrote a ton & it saved me so much time!!

8. don't be afraid to be different. i know this sounds cliche but it's true. the more unique strengths & experiences you bring to the table, the more appealing your application will be.

9. find some writing mentors. find two editors: teachers, parents, friends, siblings, legit anyone besides chatgpt :) share your writing with them & they will help you so much. i'm super grateful for my mom & my friend story who edited for me over & over! my writing improved so much this year & i'm really proud of that!

10. be confident. don't be afraid to brag! scholarships & apps are how you prove you're worth a spot at college or money for it. don't let yourself get in the way of earning what you are capable of! be your own cheerleader :)

& that's it! senior year is quite crazy with hard classes, extra-curriculars, social stuff & then with all this on top of it! but trust me, the grind will eventually settle down, you'll have solid plans for the fall, and you'll be graduated from high school forever. so please don't let this overwhelm you. if anyone can do it, you can :) but i do hope this post gives you some good ideas to keep you feeling prepared & confident.

lots of love,

xoxo kate

p.s. i have a new podcast ep coming out this week! listen here :)