Summer Action Items & Information

Contact the college office with questions after reviewing this document. All items below should be completed by mid-August, unless otherwise noted.

STUDENT ACTION ITEMS

Continue trimming your SCOIR "Following" list, making sure it includes at least three foundation schools. In addition to websites, The Fiske Guide to Colleges, and other guidebooks, consult the Resources Page under the "Researching Colleges" tab for resources to support your research.
Complete a draft of your Common Application essay. Word count = minimum 450/maximum 650 words (If you have difficulty condensing below 650 words, that's okay - your counselor is happy to help during your August meeting.) This is only a draft: it should reflect strong writing, and you should keep an open mind to editing and revising.
Complete a draft of your Activities Brainstorming worksheet. For additional guidance: Read this blog post about the importance of the Activities section. Watch this 8-minute walkthrough of how to use the Activities Brainstorming worksheet.
Mark your Calendar:
- (Students only) September 1 @ Noon or September 3 @ 3:30 pm: Required 45-minute Senior Class Meeting with the college counseling team. Meetings are in-person.
- September 8 @ 4:45-6 pm: Senior Fall Presentation for Parents/Guardians (event will be recorded).
- A full calendar of events is available here.
Register for the Oct 9 School Day SAT and/or Oct 13 School Day ACT here by September 4.
Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center if you plan to compete in Division I or II athletics. Recruiting details, including sample emails to coaches and an athletic resume template, are available on the Resources page in Athletics FAQs.
Start the UCAS Application if applying to University of Cambridge or Oxford, which have an October 15 deadline . Use the resources from Lakeside’s partnership with UK College Admissions to learn about attending university in the UK and the application process. Link your application to the "Lakeside Center" with a "buzzword," which is "LakesideLions2027."
Resume checking email regularly on August 1. Your counselor(s) will contact you about an August meeting, required summer questionnaire, and other important information.

PARENT/GUARDIAN ACTION ITEMS

Mark your Calendar:
- (For students only) September 1 @ Noon or September 3 @ 3:30 pm: Required 45-minute Senior Class Meeting with the college counseling team. Meetings are in-person.
- September 8 @ 7 pm: Senior Fall Presentation for Parents/Guardians (event will be recorded).
- A full calendar of events is available here.
Estimate Financial Aid Eligibility by scheduling a meeting with Paul Martin @ College Money Method or use the College Board's Net Price Calculator and/or My Intuition Cost Calculator to estimate aid eligibility, if you haven’t already. The fee for a consultation with Paul is $150 and is discounted for families receiving financial aid. Additionally:
- Explore at least one Washington public university where you'll qualify for the resident tuition rate if cost is a factor.
- Gather the relevant financial documents necessary for financial aid applications. (Use this guide to identify necessary forms from the 2025 tax year for the FAFSA.)
- Create an FSA ID following this guide (or, if you already have one from working with an older child, find the log-in and password for it). Once created, your FSA ID will be your forever ID for all things related to the FAFSA and Federal Student Aid.
- If you will be considering merit aid in your student’s college process, we encourage you to watch the recording of the College Money Method webinar, Building Aid Generosity and Affordability into Your School List.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Counselors' Summer Schedules: The college counseling office closes the afternoon of July 2, and re-opens August 10. To contact us during this period, email Mr. Worthman (CC your counselor), who will check email weekly. Your college counselor will email you by early August to schedule your next meeting before school starts.
Updated Transcripts and GPAs: Before July, in SCOIR you will be able to see your updated GPA and access a copy of your unofficial transcript (Instructions to access your SCOIR Drive: to access this PDF, click on "My Profile," then "Drive"). Remember that Lakeside does not report GPAs to colleges; the GPA is an internal calculation to plot yourself on scattergrams. Our office will also post quartile distributions on the Resources page once GPAs are available (quartiles are for your reference only and are not shared with colleges).
Scattergrams: When using scattergrams to build lists, remember that they reveal only partial context behind outcomes. Because applicants are plotted based solely on GPAs and scores, the impact of athletic recruitment, legacy, applying to an undersubscribed major, or other institutional priorities is not reflected. As you use scattergrams, note questions for your college counselor. Scattergrams alone are insufficient to define a school as a Foundation, Reach, Unlikely, or Highly Unlikely option.
College Visits: Many colleges limit the number of visitors on their campuses at one time. In planning visits, monitor official admissions office campus visit webpages and make reservations for tours etc. far in advance.
Interviews. Students who are considering interviewing this summer should review the interview guide. Because colleges have varying interviewing policies and procedures, students should check the websites of each school they’re considering.
Applications and Supplements. Some students have expressed interest in working ahead. While we laud advanced planning, working too far ahead is counterproductive. The Common Application will be updated on August 1, after which the office will share video tutorials on completing it. Additionally, students should wait to write supplemental essays until fall. Once they've begun senior classes and are more knowledgeable about their colleges, they'll be better positioned to address questions regarding academic interests and fit. Colleges may also change their supplemental questions from year to year. Students submitting music or art portfolios should research colleges’ requirements and begin compiling them.
Sending Materials to Colleges: Our office will begin sending official transcripts, school reports, and counselor and teacher recommendations to colleges on October 12, 2026. Instructions on how to place transcript requests will be provided at August's senior class meetings.
Apply for Fly-in Programs, if applicable. Some colleges offer students from underrepresented backgrounds visit opportunities at the college's expense. A listing of programs and their applications is available on this website.
Athletic Recruiting: If requested by college coaches, send the SCOIR PDF of your transcript. Include your senior year courses (since these won’t yet be listed on your transcript) and also a link to Lakeside's School Profile. Do not send coaches your GPA because this often hurts more than helps. Testing remains optional at most colleges. If you are communicating with coaches and will be inaccessible by email for more than a week, post a formal, automatic away message so they know you're not ignoring their emails.
AP Exams: If you took AP exams in May, the College Board will email you in early July when your scores are available. The college counseling office will upload them into SCOIR in early August.

UPCOMING DATES AND EVENTS:

July 2: College Counseling Office closes for summer break @ 3pm.
August 10: College Counseling Office reopens; all counselors resume checking email regularly.
August 14: Course Change Period Opens
September 1, 12 pm orSeptember 3, 3:30 pm: All seniors must attend a 45-minute class meeting with the college counselors.
September 4: Deadline to register for School Day SAT and/or ACT (see above)
September 8, 4:45-6 pm: Senior Fall Presentation for Parents/Guardians (will be recorded)
September 11: Course Change Period Ends
September 24: 5-6:15pm: College Talk on Standardized Testing for Parents & Guardians
September 29: 6:30 pm. College Money Method Webinar, Succeeding in the Financial Aid Process (will be recorded).
October 9: SAT School Day
October 13: ACT School Day