Every year, my seniors forward me emails from colleges they have been accepted to even though they never applied. Some kids are excited about these acceptances because who doesn’t like to be welcomed with open arms, even when you didn’t knock on the door? Others are simply confused. They wonder how the college found them. 

Like many of you, over the past couple of weeks, my social media feed has been flooded with photos and videos of college drop-offs. I’ve seen impeccably decorated dorm rooms (none of which include the milk crates that furnished my college room in the late ’80s), along with pictures of excited new roommates and, of course, the inevitable goodbye hug. However, behind those smiles and captured moments, there are parents filled with anticipation, excitement and anxiety. 

There’s a sweet spot in the college process between “I have plenty of time” and “Oh no, when is that deadline?” It’s the stretch at the start of senior year, when college applications may still feel comfortably far away, but the work of putting together a strong application is already beginning.

This is not the time to panic. The hard work and big decisions are still ahead, but there is enough time to prepare without feeling rushed. Students can use this relatively quiet stretch to get organized, make some decisions and take a few important steps forward. They don’t need to have everything figured out. They just need to start.

Here are 9 tasks we recommend seniors tackle before the application season gets busy.

Every fall, we get calls from parents of high school seniors who are feeling a tremendous amount of stress about the college application process.

Some feel guilty because they didn't start the college search early enough and have no idea where to begin. Others are convinced their child is going to procrastinate until the last minute, sending off rushed applications and essays that don't fully tell their story. Another group worries that they will make a mistake. There are also many parents who know there is a lot to do and very little time to do it, especially with all the other commitments that come with senior year.

Saying goodbye to summer is never easy. A new school year means new teachers, more homework and a harder curriculum. Some students, including students with learning differences, look forward to school and thrive in an academic environment. Most, however, wish summer could last forever.

For many neurodivergent students, summer is a time to pursue activities and experiences where they can shine. Whether it is camp, a sport, a job or a project of their own choosing, the playing field is often leveled outside of the academic environment, giving students opportunities to build skills and feel confident in their abilities.

At The College Spy, we see our neurodivergent students respond to the start of school in one of two ways. Some feel anxious about returning to an academically or socially challenging environment. Others feel overly confident after a summer filled with activities where they succeeded.

Collectively, our team has more than 50 years of experience supporting neurodivergent students. Lisa Delfino was a high school special education teacher before becoming The College Spy's Academic Coach, and Michelle McAnaney spent more than 15 years working as a high school counselor. Here are our best tips for making the transition back to school a little smoother.

Dual enrollment, also called dual credit, concurrent enrollment or college credit courses in some states and school districts, allows high school students to earn both high school and college credit by successfully completing a single course. 

Dual enrollment courses can be offered at a student's high school, a community college, a four-year college or online. They may be taught by a college professor or by a high school teacher who has been approved by the partnering college to teach the course. Regardless of where the class is offered, students who successfully complete it earn college credit while they are still in high school.

Although the terminology varies by state, all of these programs share the same goal: giving students the opportunity to begin earning college credit before graduating from high school.

Ten years ago, I was where many of you are today. My oldest son was headed into his junior year and suddenly the college process was looming ahead of us. I was feeling a mix of emotions;  including excitement, sadness, confusion, and a lot of anxiety. My only experience applying to college was back in the 1980s when I submitted my handwritten applications by mail. I felt completely clueless.

When the opportunity to be one of The College Spy’s first client families was offered to us, I immediately accepted. A few years later, when my younger son started the college search we turned to Michelle again. With her guidance, support and knowledge, both of my sons ended up at colleges that were right for them.

Years later, I embarked on an encore career as a college admissions consultant working for The College Spy. My own experiences have deepened my understanding of the many challenges parents face at different phases of this often overwhelming process. In this new role, I have gained a different perspective and sometimes think about what I wish I knew that summer before junior year years ago.

The Activities section of the Common Application is where students list how they spend their time outside the classroom. Applicants can include up to 10 activities, and each one has just 150 characters to describe their role, accomplishments or impact. Students are also asked to estimate how many hours they spend on each activity and during which grades they participated.

Because it seems straightforward, many students rush through this section, but that is a missed opportunity.

Becoming a doctor is a long academic journey that includes college, medical school and residency training. It is rigorous and highly competitive, which leads many students to wonder what they should be doing in high school to prepare.

Students do not need to decide in high school that they will become doctors—many explore the possibility and make a final decision in college. However, if a student is even considering medicine, the goals in high school are to begin building a strong academic foundation, explore the field of medicine and develop the habits that support success in a future pre-med track and medical school prerequisites.

Whether your student is interested in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy or another healthcare career, graduate school is likely part of their educational journey. Because these programs are highly competitive, preparation begins long before students submit applications.

Strong pre-health students do more than earn high grades in science. They build habits, interests and experiences that demonstrate a sustained commitment to healthcare and service. They challenge themselves academically, explore healthcare careers early and take on meaningful service and leadership roles. These experiences prepare students for success in college and strengthen future graduate school applications.

Some students are actively involved in synagogue life or youth groups and already know they want a strong Jewish community in college. Others may not see Judaism as a significant factor in their decision. In many families, parents place a higher value on Jewish life than their students do, often believing their child doesn’t fully appreciate how much Judaism is woven into daily life until they leave home and those traditions and communities are less readily available. Wherever your child is on this spectrum, it’s important to talk through both how they feel now and how they might feel once they are in college, so the decision is fully informed.

High school students’ inboxes are overflowing. The constant stream of college emails can be overwhelming, leaving students to sort through what matters and what can be ignored. Some messages create confusion. Students may wonder why a college they have never heard of, are not interested in, or would be easily admitted to keeps contacting them. Those emails often feel spammy, leading students to assume the college is simply marketing for more applications.

At the same time, students may receive emails from highly selective or well-known colleges and think, “They want me!” Students assume these institutions have reviewed their profile and reached out personally, when in reality those messages are often part of a mass marketing campaign as well.

Can’t decide on a college major? Maybe you just haven’t been exposed to all the interesting subjects colleges have to offer. In high school, most students choose from a fairly standard lineup of classes: math, English, history, science, foreign language and a handful of electives. College is completely different. Depending on the school, a course catalog can include hundreds of majors — many of which students have never even heard of before.

For many families, the college admissions process brings a predictable level of stress, given both the time it requires and the significance of the outcome. There is a shared understanding between students and parents that planning for college is an important transition, one that requires focused attention and effort. Parents often have expectations about how their teen will engage with college planning, including taking ownership of the application, staying organized, actively researching colleges and having earnest discussions about their future.

When a student has ADHD, the college process often becomes even more stressful because the organization, planning, and follow-through it requires can conflict with the way the student’s brain is wired.

Comfort on campus begins with being seen, respected and safe. LGBTQ+ students feel most at ease in environments where their identities are recognized without explanation. Professors use correct names and pronouns, staff receive allyship training and peers show understanding and acceptance. Visible LGBTQ+ representation, such as Pride flags, inclusive language in syllabi and active campus organizations, signals that they belong. Students can easily findcommunity through a Pride Alliance, an LGBTQ+ resource center or informal groups of supportive friends. Inclusive housing and bathrooms as well as accessible mental health and health services help students feel both physically and emotionally secure. 

“Liberal arts” is a phrase used by colleges in two common ways. First, it describes a type of curriculum that can be used at any college or university. Second, it is used to describe a group of small, private institutions that each follow a liberal arts curriculum.

The phrase “liberal arts” has Latin roots and dates back to Ancient Greece. In Latin, artes liberales means “the arts of a free person”. It was believed that a “free” person needed a broad academic education to think, speak, and act effectively in public life. Despite its name, liberal arts doesn’t have anything to do with politics and isn’t exclusively for artistic students. In fact, it often incorporates a balanced study of arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Some colleges and universities will offer Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees, even in the natural sciences.

As you navigate the college admissions process with your neurodivegent student, it is important to understand the differences between support in high school and college. All US colleges and universities that receive federal funding are required to have a designated office where reasonable accommodations are provided to students with disabilities. Students are expected to request and manage their accommodations through the disability office. Self advocacy is a must and students should have an understanding of themselves as learners and what their needs are. This marks a significant change from high school, where the school takes responsibility for identifying and evaluating students with disabilities and developing an IEP or 504 plan to support their success.

A small college in Maine pioneered test-optional admissions in 1969 as a way to focus on holistic review and equity in their application evaluation process. Over the next several decades, more institutions introduced similar policies, gaining real momentum when WPI became the first tech school to make test scores optional in 2007. The University of Chicago made headlines as the first highly selective school to implement test-optional policies 2018. By 2019, there were about a thousand schools who had made the decision to institute test-optional policies, but few of them were the selective places we hear about in the media most often. 

In 2020, everything changed. COVID brought the need for social distancing and high school closures, which meant simply accessing standardized tests was difficult for students. Out of necessity, most US colleges and universities (who hadn’t already) created test-optional policies that year. Six years later, some colleges’ have remained test-optional, and others have gone back to requiring standardized tests.