For many high school students, the college application process can be incredibly demanding and overwhelming. But if you’re looking to jump into that process for the first time, there’s no need to worry: much—if not all—of what contributes to those unfavorable experiences can be mitigated or avoided altogether by following the right steps at the right time.
In many cases, the reason students dread writing their next supplemental essay or are left scrambling for letters of recommendation a week before a deadline is that they unknowingly miss the most optimal times to complete each component. At Command Education, we pride ourselves in having a deep understanding of when to do what and how to do it best.
This guide’s aim is to provide a timeline and general guidelines ideal for every high school student applying or getting ready to apply to college. We’re aware that every student’s circumstances, commitments and capacities are unique, and so the steps we’ve outlined below are flexible. Lastly, we hope this guide offers useful tips on matters that overlap with the college application process, such as time management!
Ready? Let’s get started.
Junior Spring
Strengthen grades and extracurriculars, take standardized tests, research colleges, and plan out your summer.
Junior year is arguably the most crucial year of your high school career, and the spring will be dedicated to maintaining academic excellence, obtaining leadership positions, developing your passion project, preparing for standardized tests, and finalizing your summer plans. Junior Spring is also an opportune time to begin researching schools, attending information sessions, and drafting your college list.
Junior Summer
Visit colleges, write personal statement and activities list, finalize college list.
With school no longer in session, summer presents the perfect opportunity to write your personal statement, compile your activities and awards list, schedule college visits, or take standardized tests in order to finalize your balanced college list. Be sure to account for vacation time or family commitments too!
Senior Fall
Create a detailed application schedule, write and submit supplemental essays and additional application materials, schedule interviews.
Fall can be a particularly stressful time for many seniors, but with proper planning, you’ll be well on your way to submitting standout college applications with strong supplemental essays and additional required materials, such as portfolios and optional videos. Senior Fall is the time to develop a thoughtful application strategy and determine which schools you want to apply to early decision, early action, and regular decision.
Considering your options for early application pathways? Check out Command Education’s complete guide to EA, ED, and EDII!
Junior Spring
Strengthen grades and extracurriculars, take standardized tests, research colleges, and plan out your summer.
Junior year is arguably the most crucial year of your high school career, and the spring will be dedicated to maintaining academic excellence, obtaining leadership positions, developing your passion project, preparing for standardized tests, and finalizing your summer plans. Junior Spring is also an opportune time to begin researching schools, attending information sessions, and drafting your college list.
Junior Summer
Visit colleges, write personal statement and activities list, finalize college list.
With school no longer in session, summer presents the perfect opportunity to write your personal statement, compile your activities and awards list, schedule college visits, or take standardized tests in order to finalize your balanced college list. Be sure to account for vacation time or family commitments too!
Senior Fall
Create a detailed application schedule, write and submit supplemental essays and additional application materials, schedule interviews.
Fall can be a particularly stressful time for many seniors, but with proper planning, you’ll be well on your way to submitting standout college applications with strong supplemental essays and additional required materials, such as portfolios and optional videos. Senior Fall is the time to develop a thoughtful application strategy and determine which schools you want to apply to early decision, early action, and regular decision.
Considering your options for early application pathways? Check out Command Education’s complete guide to EA, ED, and EDII!
Step-By-Step Guide to Junior Spring
Your main priorities this spring should include: earning the highest grade point average possible, taking on leadership roles in clubs related to your hook, developing your passion project, preparing for standardized testing, building your college list, and finalizing your summer plans. This may seem like a lot all at once, but by following the right steps, you’ll find yourself more collected and less scrambled through the process. Let’s get to it.
Understand Your Priorities and Personal Capacity
Since you’re likely to have a lot on your plate during this time, it’s important to take an honest look at which areas you need to prioritize and determine whether you have the capacity to take on any additional commitments. For instance, if you need to focus on a particular class and bring up your overall GPA, it’s best to hold off on SAT/ACT prep until your study schedule is a bit more manageable. If obtaining a leadership position doesn’t seem viable, then lightening your commitment in that club to free up more time to work on your passion project might be the wisest choice. What matters is that you’re dedicating the right amount of time to the right commitments and approaching the spring with a strategy that works best for you. Below are some details to help you plan your course accordingly.
SAT/ACT
Junior Spring is a great time to study and sit for the SAT or ACT. Reaching your target scores early will allow you to get a sense of which schools you should consider to be reaches, matches, and safeties, and provide you with ample buffer room if you need to retake a test later in the year. While it’s never too early to prepare for either the SAT or ACT, we recommend giving yourself at least three months to study before your test date. Consider taking diagnostic tests over a weekend to determine which test you’re best suited for, as well as which areas you might need to target for improvement (possibly with the help of a tutor). Official practice tests from the College Board and the ACT can be found here (SAT) and here (ACT). Also, be sure to register well in advance; registration closes about a month before each test date!
For more on determining which standardized test is right for you, check out our comprehensive guide!
AP EXAMS
It’s important to note that AP Exams generally take place in May, so be sure your SAT/ACT prep doesn’t take away from the requisite time you need to score well on your APs, especially if you hope to receive college credit for your exams. You can always look to take the SAT/ACT over the summer if you find that the majority of your time needs to be devoted to preparing for other standardized tests.
For more on AP and IB exams, check out our comprehensive guide!
GRADES
Since junior year is the last full year of academic achievement that will be reflected on your college applications, your Junior Spring should be devoted to closing out the year with the best grades possible. Additionally, you should devote time to developing great relationships with your teachers, which will come in handy when you start compiling letters of recommendation. Determine which classes you need the most support in, and consider forming a study group, attending office hours with your teachers or seeking tutoring in those subjects.
Command Education’s Guide to Earning a 4.0 has everything you need to know to put your best foot forward on your transcript!
EXTRACURRICULARS
Whether through a club, organization, competition, or summer activity, you should take every opportunity to show leadership and continued learning that extends beyond the curricular offerings at your school. For example, rather than organizing a fun school-wide event through your robotics club, find ways to market an event with even broader reach and consider implementing a fundraising component that contributes to robotics education in your local area. As the president of your science club, consider starting a new science initiative for young kids and establishing chapters around your school district or state. Get creative and think outside of the box!
If you haven’t already started volunteering, check out our article on Sourcing Volunteer Opportunities to not only bolster your college application but also demonstrate a genuine passion for making a difference in the world.
Understand Your Priorities and Personal Capacity
Since you’re likely to have a lot on your plate during this time, it’s important to take an honest look at which areas you need to prioritize and determine whether you have the capacity to take on any additional commitments. For instance, if you need to focus on a particular class and bring up your overall GPA, it’s best to hold off on SAT/ACT prep until your study schedule is a bit more manageable. If obtaining a leadership position doesn’t seem viable, then lightening your commitment in that club to free up more time to work on your passion project might be the wisest choice. What matters is that you’re dedicating the right amount of time to the right commitments and approaching the spring with a strategy that works best for you. Below are some details to help you plan your course accordingly.
SAT/ACT
Junior Spring is a great time to study and sit for the SAT or ACT. Reaching your target scores early will allow you to get a sense of which schools you should consider to be reaches, matches, and safeties, and provide you with ample buffer room if you need to retake a test later in the year. While it’s never too early to prepare for either the SAT or ACT, we recommend giving yourself at least three months to study before your test date. Consider taking diagnostic tests over a weekend to determine which test you’re best suited for, as well as which areas you might need to target for improvement (possibly with the help of a tutor). Official practice tests from the College Board and the ACT can be found here (SAT) and here (ACT). Also, be sure to register well in advance; registration closes about a month before each test date!
For more on determining which standardized test is right for you, check out our comprehensive guide!
AP EXAMS
It’s important to note that AP Exams generally take place in May, so be sure your SAT/ACT prep doesn’t take away from the requisite time you need to score well on your APs, especially if you hope to receive college credit for your exams. You can always look to take the SAT/ACT over the summer if you find that the majority of your time needs to be devoted to preparing for other standardized tests.
For more on AP and IB exams, check out our comprehensive guide!
GRADES
Since junior year is the last full year of academic achievement that will be reflected on your college applications, your Junior Spring should be devoted to closing out the year with the best grades possible. Additionally, you should devote time to developing great relationships with your teachers, which will come in handy when you start compiling letters of recommendation. Determine which classes you need the most support in, and consider forming a study group, attending office hours with your teachers or seeking tutoring in those subjects.
Command Education’s Guide to Earning a 4.0 has everything you need to know to put your best foot forward on your transcript!
EXTRACURRICULARS
Whether through a club, organization, competition, or summer activity, you should take every opportunity to show leadership and continued learning that extends beyond the curricular offerings at your school. For example, rather than organizing a fun school-wide event through your robotics club, find ways to market an event with even broader reach and consider implementing a fundraising component that contributes to robotics education in your local area. As the president of your science club, consider starting a new science initiative for young kids and establishing chapters around your school district or state. Get creative and think outside of the box!
If you haven’t already started volunteering, check out our article on Sourcing Volunteer Opportunities to not only bolster your college application but also demonstrate a genuine passion for making a difference in the world.
Begin college research and draft a college list
Now that you have a strategic plan for your curricular and extracurricular involvements, it’s time to put together a list of approximately three safety, five to seven match, and five to seven reach schools. These categories are determined by how your test scores and GPA compare to a school’s average, so it is important to take the SAT/ACT before the summer in order to finalize your balanced college list. Consider reaching out to your guidance counselor, family members, and friends to begin a discussion about colleges, and start perusing different schools’ websites to get an understanding of what each has to offer.
Overwhelmed by your options? Command Education’s school pages break down everything you need to know about top colleges and universities!
Research and Visit Colleges
The next step in your college research is to plan and embark on your college visits. Visiting college campuses in person is a critical opportunity to gain a sense of the intangible aspects of life on campus that cannot be captured on an admissions website. Be sure to schedule your visits for a time when classes are in session so that you can meet current students and experience campus at its most active and vibrant. Most schools have registration for campus tours publicly available on their admissions website, but calling the school’s admissions office directly is a great way to discuss any special requests or questions you might have.
If being physically present isn’t feasible, don’t fret! Campus Reel is a fantastic resource that provides virtual campus tours, day-in-the-life reels, and plenty of other informational content shared by current students. Additionally, you can register for live information sessions on colleges’ admissions websites. If you can’t attend a live session, you can likely find a pre-recorded session on the school’s website or on YouTube. You can also find out about important events by signing up for admissions newsletters or adding yourself to their contact lists. Since several colleges track demonstrated interest, it’s best to stay in the loop with opportunities where you can show face while also learning more about whether the school’s a good fit for you.
For more information about planning and embarking on your college visits, check out Command Education’s Guide to College Visits, as well as our collected College Visit Recommendations!
Finalize summer plans
Summer is a great time to take advantage of opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise have access to during the school year. It’s also an ideal time to demonstrate self-motivation, curiosity, and authentic passion for your field of interest, as well as develop professional or academic skills.
While some summer programs set their application deadlines through Junior Fall or Winter, there are still more than enough programs, internships, and research opportunities for you to look into and apply to during the spring. Start by researching opportunities relevant to your intended course of study or profession, and compile a list of opportunities that interest you. Write down all of their deadlines and plan to finish each application about a week in advance in case you need to make last-minute edits before submitting.
If you’re interested in interning in a specific field but can’t find too many official internship programs to apply to, you can seek opportunities on websites like LinkedIn and AngelList, or by networking, hosting informational interviews, and sending cold emails. In the event that none of these work out, there are plenty of volunteering opportunities and online courses to look into that will show colleges you’ve been proactive during your summer.
For more information about summer planning, check out Command Education’s comprehensive guide to the various activities you can participate in!
Ask for letters of recommendation
Spring of junior year is also a great time to ask for letters of recommendation for your college applications.
For tips and tricks about who and when to ask for letters of recommendation and how to get these conversations started, whether with a teacher, supervisor, coach or advisor, check out our resource, complete with email templates and a step-by-step guide. You can also read our “brag sheet” guide to learn about the materials you should have prepared for your recommenders when you ask them to write letters on your behalf!
JUNIOR SPRING CHECKLIST
Step-By-Step Guide to Junior Summer
With school no longer in session, summer presents the perfect opportunity to write your personal statement, activities and awards list, schedule college visits, or take standardized tests you’ll need in order to finalize your college list. In addition, your main priorities this summer will consist of excelling in your summer internship or program of choice, refining your college list through research and working on your college essay and supplements. This might sound like a lot all at once, so let’s take it step by step!
Schedule Standardized Tests and Other Summer Commitments
Working on your college applications when you’re not devoting time to your other summer commitments will allow you to get a leg up in the process before senior year. Start by making sure you’ve secured a seat for any standardized tests you plan on taking over the summer. It’s critical to know where your scores fall relative to the schools’ averages in order to make changes to your college list as needed and determine whether or not you’ll have to test again in the fall.
WHAT OUR TUTORS HAVE TO SAY:
“Our 1:1 approach to the tutoring process provides students with a testing plan tailored entirely to their unique needs and areas for improvement. We help students pinpoint their weaknesses—whether it’s time management, anxiety, or reading comprehension—and develop strategies to overcome them. No two students will follow the same path—whatever a student’s goals, strengths, hurdles, or learning styles, we meet them where they are and help them achieve their goals.”
For more on Command Education’s bespoke approach to the tutoring process, check out our Q&A with Director of Tutoring Aaron!
Finalize College Lists
By Junior Summer, you should have visited at least some of the schools on your list, and if you were unable to do so, attended a virtual information session or campus tour. Use your free time during the summer to take an inventory of what you liked and disliked about the colleges you have researched and visited. Try to keep these reflections focused on specific attributes of the colleges rather than the schools themselves—did you discover you liked smaller schools? Colleges that are located within cities? Programs that offer specific research opportunities? As you narrow your college list and decide which schools you intend to apply to, use these reflections as the guiding metrics for finalizing your list.
For more on how to craft a balanced college list, see Command Education’s comprehensive guide to choosing the right reach, match, and safety schools for you!
Write your Activities Lists
If you haven’t done so already, you can get ahead of the game by compiling a list of your activities and awards with their corresponding descriptions. Perhaps you already have a resume that you’ve made to apply to summer programs or a master list buried somewhere in your Google Drive. In any case, it’s best to start summarizing your extracurricular involvements, leadership roles, and accomplishments. If you’re applying to any of the nine schools in the University of California system, start by writing the activities descriptions for their application first. The UC application allows 350-character descriptions of your activities—significantly more space than the Common and Coalition for College.
If you want to compile eyecatching Activities Lists for both the Common/Coalition Application and the UC applications, these guides offer step-by-step advice for tackling every entry!
Write your Personal Statement
Now that you have your application materials organized, it’s time to get writing! It’s important to note that the college essay can be time-consuming and challenging—while only 650 words, it is an altogether unique piece of writing that demands students to creatively demonstrate how their experiences have uniquely prepared them for collegiate study in their area of interest.
Featured Service: College Application Booster Camp®
Through this targeted program, students complete their personal statement (and, in some cases, Activities List or supplemental essays) in just five days! During this time, each student works one-on-one with a Senior Mentor through a specialized process of ideation, writing, and editing to craft a personal statement and activities list that fit their hook and communicate an eyecatching story.
Your personal statement gives you the opportunity to showcase your personality, passions, and story in no more than 650 words. This is the most unique component of your application, as it gives you the opportunity to show colleges who you truly are beyond the list of activities and test scores that so easily typecast students into a set of stats. Sometimes, the hardest part of writing is simply getting started. If you’re at a loss for words after the brainstorming process, start by writing ideas in small chunks or bullet form, or start from the middle and determine your introduction and conclusion later.
If you’re a bit unsure about whether or not you have anything interesting to write about, no need to worry—our guides offer everything you need to know about:
How to Answer Each Common App Prompt
Personal Statement Do’s and Don’ts
Tip from a Senior Mentor:
“Students should start as early as possible to draft, revise, rework, and polish every component of their application. The last thing you want is for a great story to be overshadowed by the typo in the first sentence of your essay.”
For more information about how our Senior Mentors coach students through the competitive admissions landscape, check out our Q&A with Erin!
Write your Personal Statement
Now that you have your application materials organized, it’s time to get writing! It’s important to note that the college essay can be time-consuming and challenging—while only 650 words, it is an altogether unique piece of writing that demands students to creatively demonstrate how their experiences have uniquely prepared them for collegiate study in their area of interest.
Featured Service: College Application Booster Camp®
Through this targeted program, students complete their personal statement (and, in some cases, Activities List or supplemental essays) in just five days! During this time, each student works one-on-one with a Senior Mentor through a specialized process of ideation, writing, and editing to craft a personal statement and activities list that fit their hook and communicate an eyecatching story.
Your personal statement gives you the opportunity to showcase your personality, passions, and story in no more than 650 words. This is the most unique component of your application, as it gives you the opportunity to show colleges who you truly are beyond the list of activities and test scores that so easily typecast students into a set of stats. Sometimes, the hardest part of writing is simply getting started. If you’re at a loss for words after the brainstorming process, start by writing ideas in small chunks or bullet form, or start from the middle and determine your introduction and conclusion later.
If you’re a bit unsure about whether or not you have anything interesting to write about, no need to worry—our guides offer everything you need to know about:
How to Answer Each Common App Prompt
Personal Statement Do’s and Don’ts
Tip from a Senior Mentor:
“Students should start as early as possible to draft, revise, rework, and polish every component of their application. The last thing you want is for a great story to be overshadowed by the typo in the first sentence of your essay.”
For more information about how our Senior Mentors coach students through the competitive admissions landscape, check out our Q&A with Erin!
JUNIOR SUMMER CHECKLIST
Step-By-Step Guide to Senior Fall
During the fall of senior year, your main focus should be remaining well-organized and focused as you complete all of the requirements for each of the schools to which you are applying. Planning ahead, creating a strong support network, and setting attainable milestones along the way will help to mitigate the stress and ensure that you are putting your best foot forward on your applications.
Get Organized and Make a Plan
This is the final stretch! In the fall of your senior year, prioritize making a schedule for completing each college’s application materials, including supplemental essays, scholarship applications, and unique additional application materials. To make sure you stay on track, your schedule should be detailed and realistic, taking into account your school work, activities, and personal commitments. Here are a few steps you can take to make this process as seamless as possible:
COMMITMENTS
During your senior year, you may be at the peak of your club leadership, in the scaling phase of your passion project, or taking a class you’ve been waiting to take your entire high school career. Establish which school commitments need to be a priority and which can move to the back burner, and plan to allot time each day to work on your college applications as if they are your most important class or extracurricular of the semester.
COLLEGE LIST
Decide which school(s) you’re going to apply to early. Start by determining which schools you’ll be applying to ED I, EA, REA, or SCEA. Keep in mind that some schools have very restrictive early decision or restrictive early action policies that prevent students from applying to other schools. Take note of which schools have earlier deadlines or unique deadlines for special programs or scholarships. Next, confirm the deadlines for all of your other regular decision schools, including any scholarship or program deadlines, and add them to a calendar in a visible part of your home to ensure that you keep them top of mind.
If you’re unsure of whether or not to apply early, our resource offers everything you need to know about early applications, including the benefits and drawbacks of pursuing this application path!
APPLICATION LIST
Make a list of application materials required for each school. This will help you estimate the time it will take to complete each application. While some schools may only have one 250-word supplement, schools like Yale and Princeton often ask applicants to answer eight questions ranging from 150-character short responses to 250-word essays. If you plan on applying to The University of Chicago, you also might want to allot a bit more time to the brainstorming process, as they’re known for having some pretty experimental writing prompts.
You should also identify any unique materials you may need to submit such as art and music portfolios, auditions, peer recommendations, honors college applications, video introductions, or additional essays for dual- or combined degree programs, freshman study abroad opportunities, and more.
SCHEDULE
Create monthly and weekly schedules, prioritizing applications for schools with the earliest deadlines. This includes allotting time for writing all of the school’s supplements, finishing your other application materials, sending your application to a parent, guidance counselor, or other trusted advisor for feedback, revising your application, and submitting it a few days before the deadline. A good rule of thumb is to aim to finish the supplemental essays for 1-2 schools each week.
Get Organized and Make a Plan
This is the final stretch! In the fall of your senior year, prioritize making a schedule for completing each college’s application materials, including supplemental essays, scholarship applications, and unique additional application materials. To make sure you stay on track, your schedule should be detailed and realistic, taking into account your school work, activities, and personal commitments. Here are a few steps you can take to make this process as seamless as possible:
COMMITMENTS
During your senior year, you may be at the peak of your club leadership, in the scaling phase of your passion project, or taking a class you’ve been waiting to take your entire high school career. Establish which school commitments need to be a priority and which can move to the back burner, and plan to allot time each day to work on your college applications as if they are your most important class or extracurricular of the semester.
COLLEGE LIST
Decide which school(s) you’re going to apply to early. Start by determining which schools you’ll be applying to ED I, EA, REA, or SCEA. Keep in mind that some schools have very restrictive early decision or restrictive early action policies that prevent students from applying to other schools. Take note of which schools have earlier deadlines or unique deadlines for special programs or scholarships. Next, confirm the deadlines for all of your other regular decision schools, including any scholarship or program deadlines, and add them to a calendar in a visible part of your home to ensure that you keep them top of mind.
If you’re unsure of whether or not to apply early, our resource offers everything you need to know about early applications, including the benefits and drawbacks of pursuing this application path!
APPLICATION LIST
Make a list of application materials required for each school. This will help you estimate the time it will take to complete each application. While some schools may only have one 250-word supplement, schools like Yale and Princeton often ask applicants to answer eight questions ranging from 150-character short responses to 250-word essays. If you plan on applying to The University of Chicago, you also might want to allot a bit more time to the brainstorming process, as they’re known for having some pretty experimental writing prompts.
You should also identify any unique materials you may need to submit such as art and music portfolios, auditions, peer recommendations, honors college applications, video introductions, or additional essays for dual- or combined degree programs, freshman study abroad opportunities, and more.
SCHEDULE
Create monthly and weekly schedules, prioritizing applications for schools with the earliest deadlines. This includes allotting time for writing all of the school’s supplements, finishing your other application materials, sending your application to a parent, guidance counselor, or other trusted advisor for feedback, revising your application, and submitting it a few days before the deadline. A good rule of thumb is to aim to finish the supplemental essays for 1-2 schools each week.
Write Your Supplemental Essays and Other Materials
One of the benefits of writing so many essays is that the process gets easier with each supplement you write. Many schools ask very similar questions framed in similar ways, so by the time you get through a few schools, chances are you’ll already know how to approach the essays for the remaining schools on your list. Here are some of our top tips for writing supplements:
1. Avoid repetition in the same application.
It can be tempting to echo part of your personal statement in your supplemental essays, but that doesn’t allow admissions officers to learn more about you, and thus isn’t an effective use of space.
2. Show off your personality.
Admissions officers will get to see your accomplishments through your activities list, transcript, and awards/honors sections. Use your supplemental essays to demonstrate what you’re passionate about, what kind of student you’ll be on campus, and how you will enrich your future community!
3. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
Many colleges ask similar questions, and you don’t need to come up with completely novel responses to every version of “Why do you want to pursue your major of interest?” Instead, tailor versions of your essay to include research you’ve done on each school’s academic and social offerings. Always make sure you’re answering the whole question, and double-check that you have included the right school’s name in your essay!
For more advice on how to write supplemental essays for top schools, check out our general and school-specific guides: How to Write College Supplements and College Application Supplement Guides.
Review and Revise
As you finish drafting your supplemental essays, it’s important to ask a second reader to make sure everything looks good. Send them along to parents, guidance counselors, teachers, mentors or trusted peerss—whoever they are, they should know you well and give you honest feedback about how your essays capture your unique voice.
Submit
Do your best to have each application ready for submission a few days before the deadline. In the event that you need to make some last-minute edits or tweaks, having a few days to spare offers a useful safety net and some breathing room. Also, application portals and websites are known to crash almost every year, so submitting early will help you avoid this altogether.
Wondering whether you’re ready to press “submit”? Check out our guide before you finalize your applications to ensure your applications are ready for admissions officers’ eyes!
Interviews
As your application materials circulate through the review process throughout the fall, you may hear back from colleges that either highly encourage or require applicants to sit for interviews, either with an admissions representative on campus or with an alumnus in the applicant’s local area. However, some schools, such as Swarthmore, will expect you to contact them to set up an interview. In the latter case, simply contact the school’s admissions office or register on the school’s website. An interview is another opportunity to show what you will uniquely contribute to a campus community while taking the time to ask questions about the school. As such, students should review their materials to prepare in advance, dress for success, and show up on time to make a positive impression! As always, make sure to thank your interviewer via email no more than 24 hours after the interview.
For some tips and tricks on acing the interview, read through our guide on what to expect from college admissions interviews!
What to do When You Hear Back from your ED school
Most colleges and universities release their EA and ED decisions in mid-December, though some early admissions decisions come out in January or February. Remember that EA decisions are non-binding, so you will only be obligated to make a final college decision in the spring. Alternatively, if you’ve been accepted into a school ED (congratulations!), here’s a quick to-do list:
Accept the offer.
Complete admissions forms either online or by mail, and pay your deposit. This reserves your seat in the entering class.
Withdraw other applications.
Whether it’s by rescinding your applications online or sending each school a brief email about your withdrawal, withdrawing your other applications will free up a seat for another deserving student.
Send ‘thank you’ letters.
It’s important to make sure you send thank you letters, whether physically or electronically, to those who have helped you along your journey. You should update teachers or other references who wrote your letters of recommendation, college counselors who helped you create your college list, coaches, and other key players about your college decisions so they can all celebrate with you.
If you’ve been deferred to the regular decision application round, send the schools a letter of continued interest to let them know that you’re still considering them as one of your top choices.
If you want to write a letter of continued interest that will catch admissions officers’ attention, check out our mentors’ expert advice!
Early Application Responses
Whether you’ve been deferred, accepted through early action, or rejected through early action or early decision, it’s crucial that you keep working hard on your regular decision applications. For a more comprehensive to-do list to follow when you’ve been accepted, deferred or rejected, take a look at our complete resource about college responses.
SENIOR FALL CHECKLIST
Frequently Asked Questions
Does senior spring matter?
After receiving an acceptance letter from a top-tier college or university, even the most disciplined students feel the temptation to relax for the remainder of senior spring. However, students should stay motivated and make an effort to remain on top of their school work and aware of their online presence.
Many schools’ offers of admission are contingent upon the successful completion of high school.
Students who let their grades slip too far, transfer from AP classes to easy electives, share offensive content on social media, etc., may receive a warning letter from their school asking for an explanation of their behavior. Depending on the “offense,” this letter will likely not lead to rescinded admission as long as it is met with an apologetic response, a good explanation, and a subsequent correction of the behavior. However, in some cases, students are placed on academic probation or asked to defer for a year and demonstrate renewed commitment to academics. In other cases, students’ offers of admission are rescinded.
To avoid letting senior spring get the best of you, continue to do everything you’ve done up until this point to get into college in the first place. Regarding academics, you will not hear from your college for a drop of less than one full letter grade—so, while you should seek to maintain strong grades overall, know that a shift from an A to an A minus will not earn you a warning letter. Dropping more than one AP class is also a risky move. You should complete the course load you indicated you intended to complete on your application. If you do want to make changes in your course load, you should call the college or university to discuss a change. All in all, make good choices, don’t slack off, but prioritize your own self-care and reward yourself (within reason) for the hard work you have done over the course of your high school career.
When should I ask for letters of recommendation?
Since many colleges and universities have different deadlines, and early action and early decision applications complicate this even further, there’s no single date by which you should request a letter of recommendation. In general though, we recommend asking your recommenders for a letter in the late spring of your junior year, and at minimum, at least two months before your first submission deadline.
When should I apply to college?
You should plan to start working on your college applications the summer before your senior year of high school. Be sure to research important dates and deadlines for each school on your list so as to give yourself ample time to complete your applications in advance of their respective submission deadlines.
When will I hear back from my Early Action and Early Decision schools?
Decision dates vary from school to school, but results from the early application cycle are typically released between mid-December and mid-February.
When should I start studying for the ACT or the SAT?
When it comes to standardized testing, the earlier students begin preparing for the SAT or ACT, the better. While freshmen and sophomores can practice their reading comprehension, build their vocabulary, and strengthen their foundational math skills, students typically complete many of the necessary math courses by the end of their sophomore year. At that point, plan to take a diagnostic test to assess your strengths and weaknesses, then develop a study plan tailored to your needs and goals.
When should I write my college essay?
Ideally, you should begin brainstorming essay topics and drafting your essay during the summer before your senior year. This will give you ample time to explore different ideas, seek feedback from teachers or mentors, and revise your essay until it reflects your voice and experiences authentically. Aim to have your essay completed and polished well before your application deadlines to avoid last-minute stress.
Conclusion
The best feeling throughout the entire college admissions process comes when you make it to the end knowing you’ve given it your all, regardless of the outcome. The steps outlined in this guide, alone, are not enough to achieve the goals you set for yourself—it will require your best effort every step of the way.
Below are some additional resources for you to check out as you work your way through the college application process!
Compare Best-Fit Colleges
The Schools Hub
Writing Application Supplements
The Supplement Hub
