By the end of August, I usually hear a similar phrase from a lot of students.

“I’m working on it.”

Sometimes that means real progress. Other times it means things have been started, but not in a way that’s easy to build on yet.

When I meet with families in Brookfield, West Allis, Whitewater, and the surrounding communities at this point in the process, I’m not trying to figure out what should have happened earlier. I’m trying to figure out what matters most right now.

Because even if things feel a little behind, there is still a clear path forward.

Start With the List

If the college list is still moving around, that’s the first place to focus.

You don’t need to spend weeks refining it, but you do need a version that you can work from. The student should understand where they’re applying and why those schools are there.

Everything else depends on that.

Be Clear About Testing

At this point, testing should be a decision, not an open question.

If there’s one more ACT planned and there’s a clear reason for it, that’s fine. If not, it’s time to move forward with what you have.

Letting testing linger into the fall tends to compete with everything else.

Get the Essay to a Workable Place

The essay does not need to be perfect.

It does need to be something that can be worked with.

That means a clear direction, even if the writing still needs to improve. If the student is still trying to decide what to write about, that’s where the focus should go right now.

Once there is something in place, revision is much easier than starting from scratch.

Focus on What’s Next, Not What’s Missing

This is the part that makes the biggest difference.

It’s easy at this point to think about what hasn’t been done yet. That usually doesn’t help.

What does help is narrowing the focus to the next few steps that will actually move things forward.

A stable list. A clear testing decision. An essay that has direction.

Once those are in place, everything else becomes more manageable.

What This Means Right Now

If you have a current senior in Waukesha, Menomonee Falls, Sussex, or nearby communities and things feel like they’re still coming together, that’s not unusual.

The key is to be intentional about what happens next.

Not everything needs to be finished this week.

But the right things need to be moving.