It’s June, which means that school is over for the summer! If it’s not yet, it will be very soon. Now that you’re no longer in high school, but not yet in college, we know that the excitement of your freshman year is greater than ever before.
As a soon-to-be college freshman, the rest of the summer is going to be an exciting time! It’s your last summer at home with your high school friends. You’ve got a lot of arrangements and decisions to make.
But we’re here to help you out too! While you’re enjoying the sunshine, make sure to keep this June checklist for incoming college freshmen in mind:
- Finalize Student Records Double (or triple) check with your high school counselor’s office to ensure that they have your correct college selection on record so that your final transcripts will be sent to the right place, along with any scholarships received.
- Give Thanks Now that your college journey is underway, it’s important to take time to acknowledge those who helped you accomplish your goals. Try spreading joy and sharing your thanks via U.S. mail.
- Understand Your Financial Aid Status Follow up with your college’s financial aid office to ensure all paperwork is complete. You don’t want to learn that any paperwork was ignored, which would result in missed financial aid opportunities. Remember that June 30th is the deadline for filing your Federal FAFSA form! If you feel you deserve more financial aid because of circumstances that were not reflected on the FAFSA, start the financial aid appeals process.
- Arrange Future Finances It’s smart to open a student checking account and/or savings account that’s local to your college campus. You’ll have easy access to banking services (think: no ATM fees) and they often offer promotions for students.
- Connect with Your High School Friends Spend time with your high school buddies. Though they will always be your friends, you will all be in different areas around the country. Take this time to enjoy each other’s company while you can!
- Research Greek Life Speaking of friends, you may start researching Greek life at your college campus. There are a lot of benefits to going Greek, such as making new friends. But it’s not for everyone—and that’s okay. Many students have a lot of questions, and concerns, about Greek life. Dig in and see what it may be like on your soon-to-be college campus!
- Create Dorm Room Shopping List The campus living situation may still be up in the air, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning. Make a shopping list of things you’ll need for your dorm room, classes, and more. Use your student status to save money; take advantage of student discounts!! Once you talk to your future roommate about what he or she may be bringing, the two of you can divide the packing list of items that need to be purchased. When you know what you’re responsible for, you can start shopping for your portion, plus anything else you’ll need, like XL twin sheets or decor items.
- Explore Potential Career Paths If you’re unsure of what you’d like to study in college (as most students are), summertime is perfect for exploration! Do your research and be sure the major you pick pays well (you may have student loans to pay pack). Contact some business professionals in fields you’re interested in to talk to them about their careers and volunteer with organizations or at events which share common interests as your potential career paths. This summer is all about discovering who you are and where your passions and career path may potentially meet.
- Establish a Summer Savings Plan Set up a summer savings plan, which allows you to start saving for college as you work this summer. You could try to get a job with an employer who offers tuition assistance for part-time employees. This extra money will surely come in handy your first year in school! Saving a portion of your earnings now can help you reduce the cost you may need to borrow for college expenses later, and not borrowing is always a better option if you have it!
- Apply for Scholarships As a general rule, applying for scholarships should always be on your to-do list! As a starting point, check out this list of 10+ College Scholarships You Can Apply for Today. Remember that you can continue the scholarship search through college. So many students neglect to search and apply for scholarships past their junior and senior years of high school. There are thousands of scholarship opportunities exclusively for college students. Update your Fastweb profile throughout college, as you declare a major and join different clubs and organizations. Check your Scholarship Matches frequently. Commit to applying for 1-2 scholarships per week, just as you did in high school.
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Shawna Newman
Managing Editor, Contributing Writer
Shawna Newman is the Managing Editor and a writer at Fastweb. She has over 10 years of experience in higher education. Her direct work with college admissions teams, financial aid officers, college deans, ...
