College Application Timeline - July 2018

Summer is here with a vengeance and all recent high school graduates should still be savoring their newly minted status. Rising seniors are off on vacation, internships or doing community service, but they should still begin to dedicate a little bit of time every day to their upcoming college applications. This could be in the form of creating their Common App account, becoming familiar with what will be the core of their college application process, beginning to research colleges and starting a list of possible topics on which they would write their college essay. 

Regardless of whether a student begins his/her college application process in July or September, all applicants will have to accomplish the same tasks, some that will be short and sweet while others will require more time in order to be completed. Either way, finishing as many of the following points early will substantially reduce the stress that awaiting every applicant in the Fall. 

•  Common App - New this yer, the Common App will only be offline from July 27th to July 30th relaunching on August 1st. Common App Rollover allows members of the Class of 2019 to create an account with that information rolling over when the Common App relaunches.  Common App Ready is a series of tutorials available to students and their parents to help them familiarize themselves with the application. Click here for more details.

•  SAT/ACT - The next SAT test date is August 25th with a registration deadline of July 27th. The next ACT test date is September 8th with no registration deadline currently available. This new SAT date, which replaces the traditional January test date,  allows rising seniors yet another chance to take the test and have their scores back before the early application deadlines begin, some as early as October 15th. Students from low-income families should always check if they are eligible for fee waivers.

•  College List - Students should take advantage of the summer months to begin creating their college list. It takes time and shouldn't be rushed, but the effort put in does pay dividends later on. A well balanced list of reach, target and safety schools - all schools the student would be thrilled to attend - shouldn't exceed 12. No one stat - SAT/ACT scores, GPA/class rank, etc - will carry any student and pay close attention to the admission rates.

•  College Essay & Prompts -  The college essay can be a deal breaker for those top students and tip the scales in favor of those with a weaker academic profile. This year students will be able to choose from the same seven prompts as last year. One of the few times in the application process that the applicant can use their own voice, the essay should be taken seriously by all students. All the prompts give students a lot of leeway in what they can write about, however, there are some topics students should avoid writing about.  

• Extra Curricular Activities - All students are so much more than their grades and how they spend their time outside of school speaks volumes to admission officers. See what qualifies as an extra curricular activity and remember the golden rule: quality over quantity. A list of all the activities a student is involved in outside of school will be a big help when it comes time to fill out the Common App.

•  Campus Visits - Key to determining which kind of campus a student would like to attend, a campus visit is never a waste of time because much can be learned, even if it was a school you didn't like. Keep track of the little things and listen to your intuition. Few spots on a campus will better tell you if the school is a good personal fit than the cafeteria, library and dorm so make sure to visit them.

As we are all enjoying the summer and it is hard to imagine that November 1st will be upon us before you know it. But, it will! Don't get caught off guard.

Common App 'Refresh Break' - July 2018

As is its annual practice, Common App shuts down for a week during the summer at which time it updates its website (and archived old accounts prior to the introduction of the Common App Rollover last year). Yesterday, Common App announced that they are shortening that period of time down to four days - from July 27th to July 30th - relaunching as usual on August 1st, 2018.

Rising seniors who just can't wait till August 1st to begin their college application process can create their Common App accounts before July 27th and be assured that all their information will rollover. When the Common App will again be accessible, students will be able to apply to over 800 colleges and universities from this one application.

Last year the Common App introduced the Common App Ready Tool Kit, streamlined the courses and grades section of the application, created Google Drive Integration, and didn't change the college essay prompts.

For the 2018-2018 application season the essay prompts will remain the same, and the privacy policies have been updated to reflect the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new European Union data protection law.

College Application Timeline - June 2018

In a few short weeks members of the The Class of 2018 will receive their diplomas, and the Class of 2019 is set to begin focusing on their college application process. Applying to college remains very competitive regardless of the academic profile of the student. Admission rates continue to be in the low teens to single digits and Ivy League schools can no longer be considered a safety school for even the strongest students.

Students with high GPA/class ranks, as well as those with low GPA/class ranks, can do themselves a huge favor by starting their process early and being realistic about their chances of gaining admission. You can wait till September, but some application deadlines are now as early as mid-October and everyone should want to put their best foot forward on their applications.

Getting a jump start on the college application process is THE best way of reducing the stress and can easily be done by making sure the following tasks are completed by the end of the summer.

• Check your transcript - All students should get a copy of their unofficial transcript and check it for accuracy. Are the classes listed and corresponding grades correct? Will all the state mandated requirements for graduation be met by June 2018 - especially important for those who might attended more than one high school? It is the student's responsibility to make sure this document is correct.

• SAT/ACT scores - One of the three key pieces needed in order to apply, it's not too late to take or retake either of these tests. The next SAT/ SAT Subject Test test date is August 25th with a registration deadline of July 27th. The next available ACT test date is July 14th with a June 15th registration deadline. Note: These test dates are not available in all states.

• Extra Curricular Activities - All students are so much more than their grades and how they spend their time outside of school speaks volumes to admission officers. See what qualifies as an extra curricular activity and remember the golden rule: quality over quantity.

•  Campus Visits - No campus visit is ever a waste of time because much can be learned about what a student is looking for in a college after having visited a school they don't like. Keep track of the little things and listen to your intuition. Few spots on a campus will better tell you if the school is a good personal fit than the cafeteria, library and dorms so make sure to visit them.

• College List - Research and create a balanced draft list of schools. It will see many revisions throughout the summer with a final list coming together in September. Make sure you would love to attend any school on your list, regardless of whether they are reach, target or safety schools.

•  Common App - With its new members, students can now use the Common App to apply to over 800 colleges and universities. Two great new tools were introduced last year: Common App Rollover and Common App Ready. Create an account today and begin getting familiar with the application.

Common App Rollover allows members of the Class of 2019 to create an account while still juniors with that information rolling over when the Common app relaunches on August 1, 2018.  Common App Ready is a series of tutorials available to students and their parents to help them familiarize themselves with the application. 

• College essay - Before you put pencil to paper make sure you understand the purpose of the colege essay because even for strong students the essay has the potential to be a deal breaker and its importance should never be under estimated. This year's Common App prompts again leave students with a lot of freedom to write about something that will best provide schools with a glimpse into their personality and character. Select a topic on its merits, and if necessary, tweak it to fit a prompt, not the other way around.

College Apps Made Easy would like to wish all the students whom it assisted this year with their college applications all the best. Together, we spent a lot of time selecting schools that were a good fit both academically and personally and writing strong essays that resulted in numerous letters of acceptance. All that hard work will ensure success and an overall better college experience. Congratulations!!