A few small wins now can make starting the new school year way less painful. Here is a college counseling back-to-school checklist to help yo stay organized and productive.
July is weird. Many counselors are technically on break, but your brain is already creeping toward the school year (at least mine is). You might still be trying to rest or maybe trying to catch up on other things.
If you’re in that weird limbo, this is a great time to quietly knock out a few small updates that will make your fall smoother — especially those first few weeks when everything comes at once. If I don’t break things into bite-sized goals, I get overwhelmed easily. If you’re like me, then checklists keep me on-track.
I intentionally made it thorough and specific. Some of the items below might seem incredibly obvious — and that’s exactly why I included them. The obvious stuff is often so simple we forget to do it. And there’s something satisfying about seeing what you’ve already done 
and what still needs a little attention.
I’ll be diving deeper into some of these areas over the next few weeks. So if something feels relevant now but too big to tackle today, don’t worry… this is just an overview. And if I don’t ever come back to it, email me at jeremy@higheredification.org and I’ll either email you back or make a post. Here it goes broken down into categories (kind of).
Core College Counseling Materials
Let’s start with the basics — the stuff that students and colleges will see or that you know you’ll need from day one.
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- Update your school profile with last year’s data and any course or program changes (this is next week’s post)
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- Label or create your new Class of 2025 folder (physical, digital, or both)
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- Refresh your senior meeting form or intake sheet
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- Double-check your teacher rec request form or process (if you’re in charge of that)
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- Make sure your school’s FERPA protocol is clear to everyone
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- Archive old recommendation letters into a Class of 2024 folder
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- Log in to your college platforms (Common App, Naviance, Scoir, etc.) and check rollover dates
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- Test your counselor or recommender login links to make sure they work
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- Make sure your rep visit system (RepVisits, Calendly, etc.) is cleared out and ready to reopen
General Organization & Cleanup
This is the part that I personally struggle with the most because it’s no fun; however, I’m always glad I did it when students get back.
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- Clean up your downloads folder (if you’re like me, this gets packed by the end of the year)
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- Move last year’s files into labeled archive folders (Class of 2024, Spring 2025, etc.)
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- Create blank copies of the docs you use every year
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- Delete stray documents you know you’ll never open again
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- Rename anything still called “Untitled Document” (I think I had more than 20 last year!)
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- Make sure your drive folders for the new year are ready
Fall Planning
You don’t have to map out the whole year, but a little bit of pre-planning can prevent a lot of last-minute scrambling.
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- Review and note your first day of school, testing dates, homecoming, FAFSA opening
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- Block off key work windows: senior meetings, rec writing time, early app deadlines
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- Add counseling tasks to the shared school calendar if possible (rep visits, info sessions, etc.)
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- Review your college visit policy and adjust if needed (especially if your school is shifting formats)
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- Print or prep your “Welcome Back” handouts or slides for early-year events
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- Look at last year’s fall calendar and note what felt rushed or overbooked
Communications & Messaging
The goal here isn’t to start emailing people. It’s just to make the things you will need easier to send when the time comes.
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- Draft a quick welcome email to seniors or families — even just a rough outline
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- Update your email signature (class year, link to book meetings, etc.)
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- Revisit your contact list of college reps — especially those who visited or emailed last year
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- Test your appointment scheduler if you have one
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- Prep a few quick template replies to FAQs you know are coming
(“When do I apply?” “How do I get a rec letter?” etc.)
Miscellaneous (I didn’t really know how to categorize these)
This is a good moment to reflect and be proactive:
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- Make a note of what worked well last year — and what didn’t
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- Write down a few things you want to do differently this time around (could be a goals list)
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- Start a “Would Be Nice” list — small improvements, no pressure
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- Ask yourself: what do I want this year to feel like?
Conclusion
You probably won’t do everything on this list — and that’s completely fine. It’s not about perfection. It’s about giving yourself a chance to feel more in control before the school year speeds up. I’m also sure I forgot things but I tried to think through as much as I could.
Next week will begin a series about one of my favorite topics: school profiles.
I’m still figuring out what this blog is and what I want this to become. What I do know is that this is intended to help counselors and start a conversation, so I hope I am accomplishing that in some way or another. If you have topic requests, questions, or stories to share, email me anytime at jeremy@higheredification.org. I’d love to hear from you.
