The college application season has officially started. Over the next several months, high school seniors across the country are working on their applications to universities. It can be a grueling time, and having a structured plan is essential for managing stress and keeping up with the many different parts of the application cycle.
One way to do so is keeping a schedule and checklist for the schools you are applying to. Creating one with your Dewey Smart tutor can be helpful as they have recently gone through the process and are familiar with key deadlines. Furthermore, here are some aspects of the cycle to definitely include when creating this tracker, in Excel, Google Sheets, or another platform.
1. Deadlines
Every school has a final deadline for when applications are due, although before that date there are many different types of deadlines that can exist. For example, to qualify for consideration for scholarships or the honors college, some schools may have an earlier deadline.
Each school will have their own set of deadlines, and it is up to you to decide which one is the most pertinent to you. This is an essential piece of information to have because there are many components of a college application, from high school transcripts, your essays, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores, and more. These components may need to be submitted separately or together. Regardless, acquiring and finalizing all these individual elements can happen on different timelines. So, ensuring that all your materials are submitted and received by the application deadline is important.
The key word there is “received”. Some parts of your application may take longer to be processed in the system. It is essential that you keep an eye on these components and ensure that they are included in your application package for each school. Usually, this can be monitored using a school’s application portal. After submission through the CommonApp, students will usually receive correspondence from a school regarding how to set up a portal account and monitor their application status. Applying through a school portal is another way to acquire this information.
Deadlines are important and final. Schools will likely not create an exception for you (unless the circumstances warrant doing so), and as a result, knowing the deadline that is most relevant to you and preparing your application well before that date is a must for a successful college application cycle.
2. Transcript Submission
There are several different types of transcripts:
It is important to record which transcripts are requested at what times of the application cycle and ensure that they are submitted properly and in time. Keep track of this information in your checklist and ensure that your transcripts are submitted and received.
3. Letter of Recommendation (LOR) Guidelines and Submission
Every school has different requirements and expectations for letters of recommendation. Identifying how many are expected per school and ensuring you have talked to your recommender well before the LORs are due is important. In your checklist, record who you will ask to be your recommender, if you have asked them, and if they have submitted their LOR to the schools you would like them to.
4. Interviews
Some schools require interviews, while others may offer optional ones depending on the program you might be applying to. These interviews can be with students, alumni, or faculty. Knowing what type of interview you have and how to schedule them ahead of time is valuable since it allows you to plan ahead and prepare accordingly.
5. Supplemental Essays
Based on the program you are applying to, as well as if you are applying for scholarships or the Honors College, you may have supplemental essays to complete as part of your applications. In the next few weeks, colleges will have released all their supplemental prompts. This means that you can see exactly how many essays you have to write per school and on what topics.
Gathering this information ahead of time allows you to plan your essay writing process and to time it accordingly to ensure you are done with your essays before the application deadline.
6. Resume
Some applications will request your resume. Be sure to note which schools ask for this information so that you can update and send your resume with your application.
7. Standardized Test Scores
Similar to transcripts, you can have official test scores and self-reported test scores. Each individual university has its own expectations for how the information is to be submitted, as well as if it is required or optional. Official test scores are sent by the testing agencies (e.g. CollegeBoard) directly to the school, while self-reported scores are included by the student as part of their application. Record which ones are accepted and be sure to keep track of when you submit them in your tracker.
8. Optional Additional Documents
Some schools may allow you to upload additional documents. Knowing which schools allow this, how to do so, and what you would like to include ahead of time can be a helpful addition to your tracker.
