Hanna Renaldi's Blog: Last Minute Common Application Tips

It’s November, and we are starting down the home stretch of the college application season. That’s right, final deadlines are looming. The UC system’s undergraduate (non-transfer) applications are due November 30. Many Common Application schools have a January 1 deadline. Although your first instinct might be to panic, it’s important to keep a level head. You are not the only one in this position; many high school seniors across the country are in the same situation.

The key to success is to focus your time on your college applications. The Common Application can be fairly straightforward, but leaving any portion until the last minute will result in a more rushed effort — and likely a sloppy result. Here are a few tips to help you manage your applications over the next few weeks.

1. Allow yourself time to write.

Thoughtful, well-crafted essays evolve through multiple drafts and careful revisions. For a college that doesn’t require a supplemental essay, those 650 words in the personal statement are your sole opportunity to breathe life and personality into an electronic file. This is your opportunity to convey who you are and what is important to you. If you are stumped by how to begin, take a look at my blog post with Tips for Answering Common Application Essay Prompts.

2. Think about your application from an outsider’s perspective.

Is all of your data clear? Have you explained what ABCD means and your role in the ABCD organization in the extracurricular section? Keep in mind you are limited to 10 entries, each with a limit of 150 characters (including spaces!) per description. Double check to make sure you didn’t omitted any important information. Take the extra minute to locate your counselor’s contact information and confirm your GPA and class rank. If you have not already done so, now is the time to ask teachers about letters of recommendation.

3. Proofread.

Don’t skip this step. Anytime you enter text directly online it leaves room for mistakes. Consider writing even your short answers in a word processing program. Then edit them and your personal statement yourself or ask a parent or teacher to read over your writing for you. Next, copy and past the text into the appropriate fields. Finally, preview your final application before submission to ensure that everything looks the way you expect.

4. Uploading and submitting takes time.

Don’t wait until the last possible minute. Servers slow down when lots of students are trying to submit work. Browsers crash. Technical glitches happen. Sometimes, colleges will cut you some slack. Sometimes they won’t. Don’t depend on it. Your stress level will be high enough without these extra challenges. Finish early.

By Marie Todd, Accepted’s college admissions specialist. Marie has worked in college admissions for over twenty years. She has both counseled applicants and evaluated applications. Most recently she evaluated 5000+ applications for the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts; College of Engineering; School of Kinesiology. She is available to assist you (or your child) with your applications. Want Marie to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!