The College Application Timeline – “Month of September”

Hello everyone! In this week’s post, I’ll be going through some tips and tasks for you to complete during the month of September in the college applications process! Read to learn more.

Last month, I went through some things you could do to prepare for college applications in the Month of September. Refer to my previous installment in this series for more tips!

If you’re just starting to follow my series, don’t worry! There’s still much time for you to complete your applications. Check out my previous blog posts and this one to get an up-to-date account of the several things you can do!

Tip #1: Create a spreadsheet/document to track

Create a spreadsheet/document as a source of information for all things related to your application. I recommend listing out each school you’re interested in, and adding fields to enter the information. For example, application deadline, application portal (whether or it’s through Coalition/Common/Private), Financial Aid (whether they need the CSS Profile/FAFSA/both), essay requirements, letter of recommendations required, etc.

It’s a great way to keep track of materials that are required and make sure you’re on track to eventually submit. You can also make note of any materials that may take you time to require, and can help prepare you ahead of time for the rest of your application process.

Tip #2: Make note of deadlines

This is a very important step! Before you start working on applications, make sure you know the application deadlines for all of the colleges that you’re applying to. Some have priority deadlines, deadlines for consideration for merit-based scholarships, and even deadlines depending on the major/program you’re applying for.

Make note of early decision/early action/rolling admission/regular decision deadlines, and note down the deadline applicable for your application. Order your college application spreadsheet/document (as outlined in the previous tip) in the order of closest deadline, so you know which applications to focus on.

Tip #3: Start to request official documents and letters of recommendations

It’s time to start requesting documents and adding recommenders to your application! Most applications will require your school guidance counselor to upload a school report, unofficial transcript, counselor recommendation, etc. It varies by school, but for most applications, you will need to enter your counselor’s contact information, and they will receive instructions to upload. It can vary by college however, so check with the college’s website. The same goes for letters of recommendation: many schools require them, and it will be a similar process.

Since it’s a very busy time of year for seniors, counselors, and recommenders, requesting these documents ahead of time is a good idea. You won’t feel as stressed when the time comes to finalize your application, and you’ll give your recommenders and counselor ample time to complete the requirements.

I hope you all found this post useful! Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Until next time, bye!