So you’ve submitted your Early Action and Early Decision applications (congrats!) and now have, what? Five? Ten? Fifteen more colleges on your list? Whatever the number, you’re probably feeling exhausted after that early-November deadline push and wondering … do I really have to get these done before my early colleges notify me?
The short answer is: YES (sorry!). And, the good news is: we have tips to help you power through the final weeks of your application season.
Tip 1: Take stock of all remaining supplemental essays to determine your work load. Review the prompts and ask yourself:
What have I already answered in my submitted essays?
What material can I upcycle?
Which essays need to be written from scratch?
Tip 2: Don’t reinvent the wheel! Often, we see students complicate things by drafting a brand new essay from scratch when they’ve already written, revised, polished, and submitted a piece answering a similar prompt. Instead, try taking an essay you’ve written for one school and personalizing it to another school. Examples of essays that are easy to upcycle in this way include:
Why X major?
Why Us?
Meaningful extracurricular or leadership experience
A time when you learned from a disagreement
Tip 3: Create a game plan. If you haven’t already set yourself deadlines for your remaining applications, do this now. Aim to spread out the work across the final weeks of the fall semester and give yourself the gift of wrapping everything up before winter break (you’ll be grateful for the break!).
Rank your schools in order of priority.
Focus on 1-2 applications at a time.
Consider getting the “easier” work done first (upcycling essays, reusing material for similar prompts).
Budget extra time for essays that are brand new and give those apps a later deadline.
Tip 4: If applicable, mentally prepare yourself for the ED2 round. If you applied ED1/REA/SCEA, fingers crossed you’ll receive great news in December. But, since there is always a chance you’ll be deferred or rejected, it’s wise to decide if you’ll apply ED2 anywhere, and where.
Do any final research/info sessions/tours to decide on your ED2 pick.
Complete the application.
Discuss your plan with your school-based counselor. Make sure you know when their team will go on break over the winter holidays because someone will need to sign that ED2 agreement for you.
The deadline for ED2 is almost always the same as RD, so you will have time to process your news in December and make a thoughtful decision about how to proceed. Remember, ED2 isn’t for everyone, but if you have a top-choice school and know that it’s highly selective in the RD round, consider your options carefully.
Tip 5: Proofread everything. Presumably, you already proofread and submitted apps for early November, so the “Common” portion of your Common App should be in good shape.
Make sure that you’re carefully reviewing all school-specific apps (ideally with a parent) before hitting “submit.” You wouldn’t want to accidentally send the wrong “Why Us?” essay to the wrong school!
Most students wait to submit RD applications until they’ve heard back from their ED1/REA/SCEA school (except in cases where the RD deadline is in November or December), but you want to have everything queued up so that you are ready to press “submit” in the event of a deferral or denial. And, don’t forget to send official score reports where required for your RD schools as well!
Every year, we see students lose steam after the November 1 deadline. And, we get it! You just spent weeks (or months!) grinding on those apps, are relieved to have sent them in, and maybe feel exhausted. But, unless you want to experience a brutal and un-restful winter break and to submit applications that you have put together at the last minute with a maybe-not-so-clear head, we encourage you to set yourself up for success by continuing to power through the fall and getting your other applications done. You’ll thank yourself in mid-December when you can focus on enjoying the holiday season and taking a much-needed break.
