Happy November, everybody! Fall is really here and Seniors should be focusing on applications. Check CollegeMapper to see your timeline and stay on top of your tasks for this busy month.
Be aware of deadlines:
The most important deadline of the year in college admissions year is November 1, when Early Decision and Early Action applications are nearly all due. However, this year many colleges have extended those deadlines because of all the issues with the 2013 Common App.
Make sure to check the list of deadlines here to see if any of your colleges have delays.
App Pieces:
If you applied Early Decision or Early Action, you’re not off the hook yet! There are still things you need to do before your apps are really complete.
1. Make sure your best test scores have been sent to your colleges.
2. Make sure your colleges have received your rec letters.
3. Make sure your college has received your transcripts from your high school and any colleges you attended.
Heads up, it is very important that your schools get ALL of these app pieces if any of them is missing your application will be considered incomplete. If that happens it will either be thrown out (all that hard work down the drain!) or it will be put into the Regular Decision pool.
There’s still time to apply EA:
If you applied Early Decision you can still apply Early Action to any colleges that offer it. A lot of colleges have Nov. 15 as their EA deadline, but this year because of all the Common App craziness, many of them have been pushed back. (Check out the new dates here.) Unlike ED, EA is not binding and you can apply to multiple colleges. So, have at it! EA is a great way to increase your chances, while not limiting your options.
Regular Decision:
If you decided not to apply ED or EA, you should be finishing your essays right about now. This is also the time to decide which of your test scores are best. You can find the SAT to ACT to comparison chart here. Once you’ve decided, send the best ones to your colleges. If you still have to take your test, don’t panic! Just make sure to check with your colleges to make sure they accept the November and December test dates. The above “App Pieces” steps apply to Regular Decision as well, so be sure to get all those pieces submitted ASAP!
Paying for College:
Your first step should be running the Net Price Calculator on each college’s website and entering the number into your Financial Aid- Costs Planner on CollegeMapper. Take this step now, so you can keep track of your offers later and can compare the actual prices of what your tuition will be, rather than the generic price listed on the school’s website.
Essays:
Have someone you trust (like a friend, teacher, parent or mentor) edit your essays. It is a good idea to have this trusted person also look over each of your apps before you submit them. It can be easy for you to miss mistakes because you’ve been looking at these apps so much. These apps have to tell your story in a perfectly polished way, don’t leave anything to chance!
Interviews:
In person, meetings are one of the best ways to make sure you stand out to admissions officers. Try your hardest to set up interviews with the reps from your colleges and attend the information sessions that they hold in your high school and in your city. The handouts for best practices on these topics are posted in the Handouts section of CollegeMapper.
**Challenge yourself to have your apps submitted by Thanksgiving! If this isn’t possible make sure to have them done by 12/15!**
Once you’ve submitted it’s time for the waiting game to begin! Expect decision letters between December and April.
Best of luck to you! Yay, college!
