The Summer Before College Checklist

The summer before college (between high school graduation and your first college semester) is stuffed with things to do. Don’t let that grocery list of tasks stress you out.

Use this summer before college checklist to handle any last-second preparations that need to get done before starting school in the fall.

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Have Your Health Plan In Order

Make sure you’re covered with adequate health insurance.

Chances are good that while attending college, you’ll still be covered by your parents’ health insurance plan. If, for some reason, you are not, then check if your school offers its own student health plans. Also, double check that you’ve been fully immunized before leaving home too.

Research Your New Home

Get a feel for where you’ll be moving to beforehand.

Before leaving for the campus, go online and do some basic research on the area. Check out:

• Popular restaurants
• Nearest movie theaters and stores
• Music venues
• Parks
• Local neighborhoods
• Landmarks and attractions
• Nearby Towns

Make it so that when you arrive on campus, you understand where you’ll be spending the next 2-4 years of your life without question.

Apply For Last-Minute Scholarships

It’s not too late to look for money.

The summer before your senior high school year, and that year itself is a huge time for scholarship applications. However, there’s still an opportunity to apply to scholarships after graduation too.

Plenty of students don’t take advantage of these deadlines though. Go ahead and send a final barrage of scholarship applications; you’ll never know what you could get otherwise.

Prepare For Orientation

Most schools have their orientation sessions during the summer.

These sessions are designed for both parents and students to attend. Often, there will be two separate orientation programs:

• Students
• Parents

Make sure to attend these sessions in-person as they will help you acclimate to the new campus, plus you’ll likely have additional paperwork to fill out when there. Plan your trip ahead of time, to make the most of the experience.

Contact Your New Roommate(s)

Take the summer before college to introduce yourself to new roommates.

With social networking, introducing yourself to roommates is easier than ever. Moreover, you will receive contact information from the student housing authority about who you’ll be living with beforehand.

Make a call or send a friend request to touch base. It’ll make the move-in process easier to know who you’ll be living with already. Also, you can discuss what to bring and not bring.

Finalize Your Outstanding Payments

Make sure you’re up-to-date with any outstanding bills.

Before move-in, make sure that any outstanding housing or tuition payments are made. You should start receiving these bills over the summer from most schools. Don’t wait until the last second to pay, as your housing assignment could be jeopardized by late payment.

Complete Class Registration

Plan your schedule out at times that are beneficial to you.

During freshman year, many of your classes will be mandatory. However, you may end up having to register for others during your summer registration. If so, then contact your new academic advisor to see what classes are available as well as times.

Make sure these classes help knock out prerequisite credit requirements. Also, organize class times to make sure none of them conflict with one another, and that you have enough break time in between.

Go Shopping For Supplies

You’ve got a dorm room to fill and school supplies to buy.

For your dorm room, first, contact your new roommate(s) to find out what they’re already bringing. From there, bring organizational supplies like:

• Desk Caddies
• Sectional containers
• Hangers
• Basic kitchen supplies (cups, dishes, utensils, etc)

Also, don’t forget to bring weather-appropriate clothes and shop for groceries once there.

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