I was working with a client yesterday and she asked “Am I too late to turn in applications?” It was October 1. The first day of the new FAFSA form. Friends were already being accepted to colleges. Friends were already picking roommates. The blank application page loomed never-ending on her laptop.
No! It is not too late to turn in applications. But NOW is the time to make college applications your priority. The first round of priority or early action deadlines are coming up. November 1 for some schools. December 1 for other schools. Then it will be winter vacation and regular decision deadlines pop up in January and February.
So, right now, make your applications your top priority. Use these 6 steps to guide you and successfully submit your first application before the deadline.
1) Prioritize your list of colleges. Now focus on your number 1 college on your list and get that application completed. Whether you are working in ApplyTexas, CommonApp or Coalition, work through the whole application for your number 1 college and finish all the sections about you: biographical, educational, residency, test scores, extracurricular, and employment. This is the longest, most detailed part of the application. Once you have it in the system then later you can duplicate it into the other college applications.
2) Request your transcripts be sent to your list of colleges. Follow your high school’s procedure for requesting transcripts. Be sure to keep close tabs on when the transcripts actually get sent. It is your job to ensure they make it to your colleges. Hopefully the process will go smoothly and your transcripts will arrive without you having to contact the registrar’s office a second time.
3) Send your test scores to your colleges. Most colleges want to see all your scores for all the tests you took. Some colleges Superscore which means they will take the best scores from each section of all your tests and combine them into the best Superscore for your ACT and/or SAT. You can find out if your college superscores by checking their website or asking Admissions.
4) Request your letters of recommendation. Be sure to ask nicely. Let your recommender know if they will receive an email request from Naviance or from your college application. Ask them if they need any information from you to write the letter of rec and be sure to provide it promptly. And, of course, after they have written it for you, write a thank you note to them for using their time to help you out.
5) Write, rewrite and edit your essay. Which essay should you write? Check all your colleges and see what essays they each require. If they all require Essay A, then you are lucky and will only need to write one essay that will be used for all your college applications. If they require different essays, then start with the essay for your number 1 college. Remember your goal right now is to get that first application turned in and you need to write the essay to turn in the application.
6) If your number 1 college has custom supplemental questions then write out those short answers. Be sure to follow the line count or word count limit. Again, ask for help editing your short answers. Because most schools do not interview, these essay questions are your opportunity to “talk” to the colleges.
Once you have completed all of the steps above then you should be ready to submit your first application. Be sure to take the time to check over the entire application, including your essays, before actually hitting submit. You want your application to be free of errors. Submit the best you possible!
After submitting your first application, take a moment to celebrate! You did it! One college application submitted! Fantastic!
Now, get started on the second college on your list. This application should be easier and take less time. A lot of the information you input for the first application can be duplicated saving you time. If the next college asks for the same essay, then you are ready to go because you already wrote it. If you followed the steps above, you have already requested your transcripts, your test scores and your letters of recommendation.
Are you too late to submit college applications? No. But now is the time to make your college applications a priority. Follow the steps above and you should have your first college application submitted very soon.
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