It is May 1st – National College Enrollment Deposit Day! You made it! I hope that you’ve sent in your deposit by now to save your spot for the fall. And, if you’ve mail the deposit, it doesn’t hurt to check in with the school to make sure they received it!

I know that the past few months have been stressful. You’ve been pouring over your college acceptance letters and financial aid award letters. You’ve done a lot of thinking over the last few months! You can finally breath a sigh of relief because you know where you’ll be going to college in the fall.

Although the hard part of choosing the college is done, there are quite a few things you’ll need to make sure you do this summer. But relax – the list below is easy compared to making your final decision on what college you’ll be attending.

• • Let the other colleges know you won’t be attending. Let them know so that they can close out your application. Plus, letting them know could open up a spot for a student on the wait list, or ensure you won’t have an awkward phone call from the Admission Counselor.
• Submit your Housing Application/Questionnaire and deposit. Make sure these things are in by the deadline to ensure you’ll have a place to stay in the fall. Plus, if you get the application and deposit in by the deadline, you’re more likely to get your first choice of residence hall.
• Update your FAFSA and provide required financial aid documents. If you estimated the figures to get the FAFSA in by the deadline, log back in and provide the correct information. Also, if the college is still requesting documents, turn them in. You made your decision based on your financial aid award letter – you don’t want to lose out on a scholarship because you didn’t turn in a document to the Financial Aid Office requested.
• Make arrangements to have your final high school transcript submitted to the college. Make sure that the transcript is not submitted until final grades are posted.
• Submit your AP and/or IB test scores. You did all of the hard work, make sure the test scores are in so that you can get college credit!
• If you have taken college courses, submit the latest official college transcript to the college.
• Thank everyone that helped you through the college admissions process. People to thank could include your counselor, teachers, letter of recommendation writers, coaches, parents, family members, etc. It was a long process and a lot of people helped out – let them know you appreciate them.
• Sign up for placement tests, if required by college.
• Sign up for academic advising and registration. The sooner you sign up for this, the more likely you’ll get the classes you’re hoping to get in the fall.
• Sign up and attend orientation. New student orientation is a great way to get plugged-in at the college.
• Continue looking for scholarships. It’s never too late to get a scholarship. There are many great resources available including Fastweb, Zinch, CollegeXpress.

The above list looks long, but the tasks are easy. The tasks are also very important to ensure a smooth transition into college.

And lastly, enjoy your summer before heading off to college.