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Application season often starts with a question.
“Can you look at my college list?”
“Should I take the ACT again?”
“How do I ask for a recommendation?”
“Where do I even begin?”
Each question may sound different, but students are often looking for the same thing: a clear next step.
Some seniors return to school with a spreadsheet of deadlines and a draft essay. Others are still exploring their options or deciding what they want after graduation. Many are balancing applications with classes, activities, jobs, family responsibilities, and the pressure to make an important decision about what comes next.
Counselors can help make the process feel possible. A clear plan, several ways to access support, and steady follow-through can help more students move forward with confidence.
Start with a simple senior check-in
Before building your application calendar, find out where students are.
A brief check-in can help your counseling team identify what students have completed, where they feel stuck, and what support they need next. Consider asking whether students have:
- Identified possible colleges, programs, or postsecondary pathways
- Started building a college or program list
- Reviewed ACT testing and score-sending plans
- Created application accounts
- Identified deadlines
- Started an essay or personal statement
- Considered whom they may ask for recommendations
- Discussed college costs and financial aid with their families
Use the results as a planning tool, not a scorecard.
A student who has not started is not necessarily unmotivated. They may be unsure how to begin, concerned about cost, waiting for family guidance, or managing responsibilities outside of school. A personal invitation to an application work session may be more effective than another general reminder.
The goal is not for every student to be in the same place. The goal is for every student to know what comes next.
Create one roadmap students can follow
Application season includes essays, testing, recommendations, transcripts, application fees, financial aid, scholarships, and deadlines that vary by institution.
Students need one place where they can see how those pieces fit together.
Create a shared calendar that includes:
- College and program research
- ACT registration and testing opportunities
- Recommendation and transcript request deadlines
- Application work sessions
- Early and regular application deadlines
- Scholarship and financial aid milestones
- Family information sessions
Break large tasks into smaller actions. “Complete college applications” can feel overwhelming. “Create your Common App account,” “add three colleges,” or “draft your activities list” gives students something specific to complete.
You can also organize the process into four simple phases:
Explore: Research options and build a balanced list.
Prepare: Review requirements, make an ACT plan, request recommendations, and gather information.
Apply: Complete applications, revise essays, and send materials.
Follow through: Check application portals, complete financial aid steps, and compare options.
Students will move through these phases at different speeds. A visible roadmap helps them recognize their progress.
Help students build a balanced and affordable list
Students may hear terms such as “safety,” “target,” and “reach,” but those labels can create a false sense of certainty. Admission decisions change from year to year, and no college is guaranteed.
Instead, help students build a list with a range of options:
- Likely options: The student’s academic profile appears to align well with the college’s recent admission patterns.
- Possible options: The student appears competitive, but admission is less predictable.
- More selective options: Admission may be less likely, even if the student meets the published requirements.
- Financially realistic options: The estimated cost appears manageable after grants, scholarships, and other aid are considered.
Encourage students to consider more than name recognition. Academic programs, location, student support, campus culture, career preparation, and cost all matter.
For every option, students can ask:
- Can I realistically be admitted?
- Can my family and I realistically afford it?
- Can I see myself learning, growing, and belonging there?
Students should have at least one option they would be happy to attend that appears both likely and affordable. A balanced list is not about lowering expectations. It gives students more real choices when decisions arrive.
Make ACT planning part of the application process
Testing can become stressful when it is treated as a separate task instead of part of the overall application plan.
Help students review how each college or program on their list uses ACT scores. Testing policies can vary, so students should confirm current requirements on each institution’s official admission website.
Students can also consider:
- Whether their current score reflects what they know
- Whether another testing opportunity supports their goals
- Whether the test date fits their application deadlines
- Which colleges or scholarship programs should receive scores
- What preparation or fee support may be available
Avoid a one-size-fits-all recommendation. The right plan depends on the student’s goals, current score, college list, timeline, and other responsibilities.
Adding an ACT status to each student’s application tracker can help. Simple categories such as “complete,” “reviewing options,” or “needs follow-up” can keep testing decisions from getting lost.
Fall 2026 national ACT test dates
- Sept. 19, 2026
- Oct. 17, 2026
- Dec. 12, 2026
Make application help easier to access
Individual appointments matter, but they may not reach every senior.
Consider offering a mix of:
- Classroom or senior seminar lessons
- Drop-in application labs
- Small groups focused on one task
- Essay review sessions
- Support during lunch
- Family information sessions
- Virtual resources students can use outside school
Whenever possible, bring application support into the school day. Transportation, jobs, activities, and caregiving responsibilities may prevent some students from attending after school.
A college application event can give students dedicated time, technology access, and real-time guidance. It can also make application completion a schoolwide effort.
Before the event, choose a clear goal. Students might create an application account, complete an essay draft, submit one application, or identify their next step. Prepare students in advance so they can spend the event taking action.
Learn from ACAC Schools of Excellence
Counselors planning or strengthening an application event can join the upcoming webinar:
Why Host a College Application Event: Insights from ACAC 2025 School of Excellence Awardees
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026
12 p.m. ET
ACT’s American College Application Campaign will bring together three School of Excellence awardees to share how they planned application events, reached students who needed support, and addressed barriers that can prevent students from applying.
Help students tell a story that sounds like them
Students often believe they need a dramatic experience, a perfect resume, or an unusual essay topic to stand out. That pressure can make it harder to begin.
Help students shift from “What will impress an admission team?” to “What do I want someone to understand about me?”
A few reflection questions can help:
- What experiences have shaped me?
- Where have I grown during high school?
- What responsibilities matter most to me?
- What am I curious about?
- What would someone miss if they looked only at my transcript?
Students can use their answers to bring more focus to essays, activity descriptions, and recommendation conversations.
When reviewing an essay, focus on clarity, reflection, detail, and the student’s voice. Instead of rewriting a sentence, ask questions such as:
“What did you learn from that experience?”
“Why did that moment matter to you?”
“What changed afterward?”
The goal is not to make the essay sound like an adult wrote it. The goal is to help the student communicate their own story clearly.
Build equity into the process
The students who need the most support are not always the ones waiting outside the counseling office.
Some may be the first in their families to apply to college. Others may have limited technology access, work long hours, care for family members, need translated information, or be concerned about testing and application costs.
Use senior surveys, teacher referrals, student conversations, and application progress checks to identify students who may benefit from personal outreach.
Then make the invitation direct and welcoming:
“I noticed you are still exploring your options. Let’s talk about your next step.”
“You do not have to figure out the application by yourself. We have a work session on Thursday, and we can help you get started.”
A strong application process should not depend on students already knowing which questions to ask.
Keep students and families connected to support
Families may be just as unsure about the process as students. Keep communication short, specific, and tied to the next action.
A useful update can answer four questions:
- What are seniors working on now?
- What does the student need to do?
- What information may the family need to provide?
- Where can they go for help?
Counselors can also connect students and families with ACT My Journey, a webinar series featuring live college and career planning sessions as well as recordings that can be viewed on demand.
The next session is:
College Admissions Q&A for Seniors: Your Ultimate Application Roadmap
Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026
6:30 p.m. CT
Collegewise counselors will answer questions and share guidance on application stories, college essays, admission review, deadlines, and stress management.
Students and families can also visit the ACT My Journey webpage to explore upcoming webinars and watch previous sessions on demand.
Explore ACT My Journey webinars
Counselors can print and display the ACT My Journey Events Poster in counseling offices, classrooms, libraries, and college and career centers.
Help every senior see a way forward
A strong application season does not mean every student follows the same timeline, applies to the same colleges, or chooses the same destination.
It means students understand their options, know what to do next, and have a trusted person to turn to when they get stuck.
Counselors make that possible. You help students turn a complicated process into a path they can see, one decision and one completed step at a time.
