The Summer Before Senior Year
Table of Contents
Note from Author
The Many Paths Ahead
Senior Year
Career Exploration
College Exploration
Getting Ahead of College Applications
College Essays
Residency Determination Service (RDS)
Scholarships
Common App
Senior Resume
Questions?
"I do know one thing about me, I don't measure myself by others' expectations or let others define my worth."
-Sonia Sotomayor (U.S. Supreme Court Justice)
You’re Officially a Senior!
Note from author
Hey Class of 2027!
Take a moment to celebrate how far you've come! You've officially reached your senior year! This is your final year of high school, and that's something to be proud of!
....aaaaaand now, the real work begins. We've been preparing you for this moment, and hopefully, you have a good idea of what to expect. At Crosby Scholars, we've guided thousands of students through the college and career planning process, so please never hesitate to reach out with questions. That's what we're here for!
As a first-generation college student myself, I understand how exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) this year can feel. I was also a Crosby Scholar, and I can personally attest to how valuable the program can be. However, there's one thing I can't emphasize enough: ASK QUESTIONS! We want to support you every step of the way, but we can't read your mind. If you're confused, stressed, unsure, or just curious about something, let us know.
Also, keep this in mind: in less than a year, you'll be a high school graduate and officially stepping into adulthood. That means it's time to take ownership of your responsibilities. Read your emails, respond to texts, check your Crosby Scholar portal, and stay on top of deadlines. There are so many resources and people ready to help you succeed but you have to meet us halfway and stay engaged. We are excited to support you through this important year and can't wait to see what you'll accomplish. Let's make your senior year a great one!
Isabel Iturbide, Outreach Program Specialist for SHE & Excelencia/Staff Advisor
Atkins Academic & Technology High School ‘18 University of North Carolina in Greensboro ‘23 Wake Forest University ‘27
“It starts with trusting yourself, even if people are telling you you’re too young to trust yourself.” –SZA, Singer and Songwriter
The Many Paths Ahead
Making Decisions to Shape Your Future: High School, Career, and College Planning
“To love what you do and feel like it matters — how could anything be more fun.”
–Katharine Graham, First American Female Fortune 500 CEO
Senior Year
Your Final Year
There are still many ways for you to stand out!
Your grades are still important and any sports or after school activities you do. You can always add to your applications.
I know registration has passed but continue to take class that are challenging to you. (Any practice is good practice for those college courses)
Senioritis...
We a suffer from it at some point, even the hardest working students but keep in mind that college, universities and even community colleges will stil ask for your final transcript. SO DON’T START SLACKING NOW! You made it this far, don’t give up now.
Senior Year
A Busy Fall!
Between the beginning of the school year, grades, football, homecoming, sports, college applications, SAT’s/ACT’s, college tours, FAFSA and MORE! (Oof! I forget how busy you guys get!)
Fall tends to be busy! The best you can do to make it better is get a head start in the summer!
That is the whole reason I wrote this so definitely do yourself this favor!
Remember to take breaks when needed! Burnout is very real and something that can be avoided if you can spot the early signs!
Career Exploration
It’s a lot of pressure as a teen to choose your adult career! Let’s find ways to make it easier! (It’s perfectly fine to not know either!)
Places to Explore
MyFuture
A very detailed website that allows you to explore several pathways (College, Military, Workforce). Navigate through several job descriptions and what type of education you might need.
Intern/Shadow in different places
A good way to also practice sending emails and making phone calls.
Here is a guide from ACT.org that guides you through this. This is also a great way to build your resume.
Career Exploration
It’s a lot of pressure as a teen to choose your adult career! Let’s find ways to make it easier! (It’s perfectly fine to not know either!)
Personality Tests?
These can be a useful tool to help better understand your characteristics, personality traits, and methods of communication. While the internet is full of many ‘fun’ personality quizzes there are some that are considered reliable and effective. It’s important to use a personality test that is well-established and has some grounding in a scientific approach. You also have to be honest with yourself in order to get the most accurate result.
Examples:
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The Big Five Personality Test
The Enneagram Of Personality
Warning: Use this as a tool to help guide you, not to make huge life decisions!
Does it actually work? (Here’s mine for reference)
Myers-Briggs: INFP-T (AKA: The Mediator)
The Enneagram: 2w3 (AKA: The Helper)
I majored in psychology and currently going to school to be a Clinical Mental Health Counselor!
College Exploration
(Hopefully done by now but just in case!)
So Many Options!
College search goes beyond finding a school that matches your career goals and their prestige. This is where you will be dedicating around 4 years of your young adult life. It is in your best interest to find a school that matches your lifestyle preferences.
For example, do you prefer......
A large school
A lot of walking
Large student population
Bigger social events
Less one-on-one interactions with professors, counseling services and advisors.
Ex: NC State, UNCC, UNC
Remember to balance your list!
A small school
Not a lot of walking
Smaller student population
More one-on-one interactions with professors, advisors, etc.
Smaller but close-knit events
Ex. Salem College, Elon University, Wake Forest University
Resources to Try
CFNC
Public Schools in NC
Private schools in NC Safety Target Reach
So Many Schools!
The amount of times I hear someone say, “My top 3 schools are NC State, UNCChapel Hill, and UNC Charlotte” is..........a lot. It is so common to hear this as an advisor. Not to downplay these schools, they are all great choices but then I’ll hear... “I hate walking and large crowds”..... and unfortunately this means that none of these school might be the right fit.
There are 16 public schools, 36 private schools and 59 community colleges in NC. There is one out there that will match your preferences.
Getting Ahead of College Applications
“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another… be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.”
–Serena Williams, Professional Tennis Champion and Entrepreneur
College Essays
Sounds awful until you realize....
1.The prompts have already been announced, and you can finish your essay before the school year even starts!
2.The word limit for last year was 250 words MINIMUM, 650 words MAXIMUM
a. I would not go less than 500 words if I were you.
3.Crosby offers so many resources!
a. Workshops through College Essay Guy over the Summer
b. Zoom sessions in Essay writing (July 23)! You can sign up for these today on Crosby Connect!!
c. Essay Coaching from qualified people who volunteer (Available later)
d. Essay Review, also from qualified people who volunteer (Available later)
e. An advisor who is willing to help with any of these!
Common Essay Prompts
Click above to see the essay prompts for this upcoming year!
Not you because you have a lot of resources!
College Essays
A Hint Common App Left For Us!
If you want to stand out! The ones that were used the least were more unique!
So not as bad, right? PLUS if you finish writing your essay in the summer, that’s one less thing you have to worry about!
If you need help accessing any of these FREE �� resources, just ask me!
This is where most of you will be applying!
Common App is currently still set for the Class of 2026, so don’t try to apply anywhere yet!
What you can do is create an account and start becoming familiar with the layout of the website.
August 1 is the official date when Common App resets for your class! st
That’s before school even starts! So if you have your essay ready you can upload it then.
You can also start building your profile and adding the schools you plan to apply to.
This will really help you get ahead and create a less stressful environment for the Fall of your Senior year!
ALSO! In August, you can add me as your advisor to your Common App account! Link to Common App!
Residency Determination Service (RDS)
Yikes! Even I was confused when I heard this for the first time plus it sounds kinda scary�� .............so what is this?
This is North Carolina's system for determining whether a student qualifies for instate tuition and state-funded financial aid. (basically it’s a site where you prove that you live in NC so you don’t get overcharged tuition)
It’s tedious but something that must be done! As I’ve said before, if you can get this done in the Summer that’s another thing you can check off your list! I promise you it’s definitely worth it and you’ll be very grateful you did this early!
Every college application will ask your RDS info and won’t let you submit your application until you do so! RDS Website
Click above to start this process today!
Scholarships
Many of you are already asking me about scholarships!
(That’s a great thing!)
A lot of scholarships are currently closed right now because they are still working on the Class of 2026.
Buuuuuut what you can do is start to build a list! I personally am a fan of an excel sheet and will always make an excuse to use it. This is a great tool where you can
List scholarships you are interested in
Note how much money they give Keep track of deadlines!
You can also link the application!
If you prefer putting all of this in a regular document, you can do that too!
If you want an example of an Excel just ask me!
*If you find a scholarship that sounds sketchy or too good to be true, send it to me and I can confirm it for you. There are scams out there!*
Scholarships
Scholarships Sites to Start You Off!
1. CFNC
2. Winston-Salem Foundation
3.Crosby Scholars (duh)
Scholarships I’ve seen Crosby Students recieve
1. UNCC’s Levine Scholarship
2. UNC’s Morehead-Cain Scholarship
3. NC A&T and NCCU Cheatnam-White Scholarship
Senior Resume
Not Like a Job Resume....
Part of your application will ask you to list your...
After-school activities
Leadership positions
Jobs
Community Service
Sports
Basically everything you do outside of school that might help show who you are as a person beyond your grades!
There is a section on Common App for this but is is helpful to have all of this written or typed somewhere. They will ask:
What the activity was?
How long you did this for?
When?
Senior Resume
If you have a document where all of this is saved then all you have to do is copy and paste instead of trying to think of everything you did the same day you are trying to complete an application
Similar to the scholarship excel, having this all listed makes the college application easier once applications open. Or if you master Excel you can create a whole sheet dedicated to all things college! (I’ll create a sample of this for you to copy if you’d like!)
Questions?
Ask! Don’t be scared! I’ve gone through this process and helped over 100 students with this process! If you would like me to host a day dedicated to getting ahead at Crosby Scholars, let me know! With enough interest I can reserve a computer lab we have here and I’ll be here in person to help guide you through all of this!
My Email: iiturbide@crosbyscholars.org
Phone #: (336)438-2938 (I prefer texts!)