It’s nearing 11 p.m. on October 31, the night before senior Michelle Murphy’s college applications are due.  Senior year has been stressful enough already between her final Spirit Week, developing a senior project idea, and the challenge of AP and honors classes. As Murphy proofreads her application on the illuminated computer screen one last time, she wishes she could have done something earlier in the year to prevent this last-minute anxiety.

However, the class of 2011 has a new option for eliminating some of that senior year stress. This summer, June 21 through July 2 from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. every day, guidance counselor Carrie Siemsen and English teacher Eric Sutton will team up to offer a college “Head Start” program for rising seniors.

Siemsen aims to help students prepare for the college process at a time when their other stress factors are minimal. “The goal of the program is to get rising seniors to get a head start on their college application process. There are several things they can get done over the summer so when they come back to school senior year, they won’t have all of these college applications on their plate along with classes, senior project, and everything else,” Siemsen said.

As a teacher, Sutton sees the everyday implications of college application stress on his students. “I teach seniors and so I saw how overwhelmed they can be in the fall and the reality of everyday school week, sports, homecoming, senior project and then on top of that, visiting colleges, preparing for interviews and writing essays, gathering recommendation letters and applying. It’s just a huge process,” Sutton said.

For $200, rising seniors can have personal assistance with three college essays from start until finalization, do a more personalized college search to narrow their choices to about four to eight schools, complete a resume, properly prepare for campus visits and admissions or scholarship interviews, and fill out at least one application, most likely the Common Application.

Sutton will be particularly involved in the writing aspect of the class. “[This program] gives the kids enough time to have a few writing workshops where they can develop the essays and edit and really come away with a couple of solid essays or at least have a process for how to go about writing one if they get a question that they already haven’t answered at the workshop,” Sutton said.

Sutton also aims to aid in the college search process by devoting personal attention to a student’s academic, extracurricular, and social needs when choosing schools. Sutton said, “[It allows us to] match up with the student and have some personal time to talk to them about what they like to study and what college would be a good fit for them based on that and financial circumstances, what type of environment, student body, and there are just so many factors that go into picking a good college. This gives students a forum to really sit down and think about those decisions rationally without tomorrow night’s math homework weighing on their mind.”

Seniors this year did not have such an opportunity to refine their college applications, essays, and prepare in such an individualized way. “I think it’s a good idea for the juniors to have this option because as a senior, there is a lot going on in all parts of the year and to get the college applications done in the summer and be the first to apply to these colleges can only increase a student’s chances of being admitted to the university of their choice,” senior Austin Golya said.

Murphy agrees that college applications would be better if started earlier in the year. “Senior year is the busiest year of high school and the fall is particularly busy with going to all the social events that you don’t want to miss out on, college applications, and [still] all of your school work,” Murphy said.

Sutton said, “I know the prospect of coming back here a week after we get out of school isn’t too enticing [for some students] but I think that when the students have completed the program, and especially when school starts again in the fall, it’ll really be a valuable experience.”

Katie Clarke can be reached for comment at [email protected].