The summer before senior year is super important when it comes to applying for college, because it can make the fall a lot less stressful than it has to be! Lucia has advice on how to stay on top of your college apps, including completing the Common Application and creating a to-do list of all your application requirements. Check out the video below!
Complete your Common Application essay (0:34)
Even if you don’t fully complete your Common Application essay before fall rolls around, having an outline or a draft written will help you stay ahead of your college app schedule. It might also be helpful to write multiple versions of the essay because one version might work for some of the colleges you’re applying to, but not all of them.
Create a list of colleges you want to apply to (1:18)
Note: this list will most likely change! But having a general idea of which colleges you want to attend will be especially helpful for letters of recommendation. Individuals will be more likely to write you a recommendation if they know exactly where to send the letters and have clear deadlines. Creating a list of colleges you want to apply to will also help you start doing research on why you want to go there, which is crucial information to put in your application essay.
Make a college application to-do list (2:40)
Whether there’s a supplemental essay, extra recommendations, or an interview required for individual schools, it will be helpful to write everything down so there are no surprises. Having a list will make it easier for you to keep organized, because college applications are no easy feat!
Prioritize the items on your college application to-do list (3:18)
Make sure to put the big-ticket items on the top of your to-do list, such as extensive essays or an art portfolio. Ask yourself what is going to take the most time, and make sure those tasks are complete before your senior year workload becomes too overwhelming. Once you start getting further down the list, your college application timeline will not only be closer to being done, but it will become easier to complete.
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