The College Application Timeline: "Month of November"

Hello everyone! In this week’s blog post, I give you a brief overview of things to do for college applications in the month of November. Read on to learn more!

The month of November is a very important month in the college applications process. Many early action/early decision deadlines are November 1, and you may have submitted your applications to these schools already. If you didn’t apply early to any school, you may be gearing up for your deadlines in December and January.

Here are a couple of tips and things to do in the month of November to prepare for your college applications. It’s a very busy month for all seniors, so make sure you take note of the following items to complete!

#1: Finalize your personal essay

If you’re applying through the Common App or Coalition, you may need to submit a central, personal essay that will be sent to all of your colleges. This will be around 500-650 words (variable, depending on your essay), and will be a general personal statement-like essay. You can choose from a variety of prompts on the Common Application and Coalition website, and submit your essay.

If you’ve started your personal essay, I suggest that you make any final edits, and finalize your essay to be submitted. To revise, I suggest reading through it multiple times, and reviewing your essay with family, close teachers, your guidance counselor, etc. It’s a good idea to have your personal essay finalized by mid-November, so you’re ready for any early December deadlines.

#2: Finalize your College List and Start/Fill In your Application

Try to finalize the list of colleges you’ll be applying to, and start to fill in their application. If you’re applying online, try to enter information and finish the parts of your application that you can. This may be about student information, parent information, demographics, academic program, etc. If you complete these parts of your application, you’ll be left with mostly the essays and recommendations left to complete.

#3: Finalize your recommendations and school transcripts

I recommend sending an email to your recommenders (if any) 2-3 weeks before the letters of recommendation are due. There’s a different number of recommendations required for each school, and the process for submission is different for each school. Look through the website, and note down the process for each school.

If you need to upload transcripts for your school, you will likely need to add your counselor to your online application or send the transcripts through the mail. The process varies for each school, and it’s important to check with your high school to figure out how you’ll be sending all the required documents from the school’s end. Since there are so many seniors in your high school applying to college at a time, it’s important to get a head start on this process and make sure your school or guidance counselor is aware of the documents you need. This may include the school report, counselor recommendation, etc.

#4: Complete the FAFSA/CSS Profile

If you’re applying for financial aid, you will need to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) online. It’s an application that requires tons of information about student demographics, parent demographics, annual household income, etc. The sooner you complete the FAFSA, the more relieving it’ll be!

You may also need to complete the CSS profile through the College Board. Double-check with the colleges that you’re applying to, since all colleges have different requirements for financial aid. If required, submit the CSS profile as well.

#5: Check for any outstanding materials

Review the websites of each of the colleges you’re applying to. There are tons of different requirements for all of the schools, and you may need to submit different materials depending on the school. It’s a good idea to stay ahead of the deadline and make sure you can submit everything on time. I recommend making a list of required items for each school, and checking items off the list once you submit or complete them.

I hope you all found this post helpful! Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

Until next time, bye!