College admissions deadlines: seniors, get organized now

October 12, 10:48 AMCollege Admissions ExaminerLauren Starkey

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Most people don’t like deadlines. They create work, they’re set in stone, and they put you at the mercy of someone else. Miss that “postmarked by” date, and your application probably won’t get opened. The good news is, with the exception of early action, early decision, and rolling admissions, you’ve got about three months to wrap up the application process. Here’s how to get it done.

Apply only to schools you actually want to attend. Think this advice sounds silly? Many students are now applying to a dozen schools or more, many of which they’ve never seen and have done very little research on. The National Association for College Admissions Counselors reports that the percentage of students applying to seven or more schools has more than doubled in the past two decades. What feels like a safety net is really just adding busy work to your already stressed schedule. If your list includes six or more schools, you’ve probably not thought many of them through.

Get your external application items taken care of. You can, if you choose, write your application essay the night before it’s due. You can also fill out your Common Application, scholarship and financial aid forms whenever you choose—as long as they’re turned in on time. But there are a few items that are out of your control…and they need to be taken care of right now.

Transcripts (records of your courses, grades, GPA, and class rank (if available)), teacher recommendations, counselor recommendations, and test scores (ACT or SAT, AP or IB, SAT Subject tests) must be reported by a third party. That means you need to ask counselors and teachers for recommendations now, if you haven’t already. Prepare a resume listing your courses and grades, extracurriculars, job, volunteer activity, and anything else you want them to be aware of—it will help them highlight your strengths as well as describe your participation in class.

The College Board or ACT sends your scores to the schools you specify. While you can order scores over the phone as deadlines near, it’s cheaper to get it done now. Check www.collegeboard.com and www.act.org for more information.  

Transcripts are sent by your guidance department, and, depending on the size of your high school, they may require up to six weeks for processing. Check your application deadlines, and then contact your guidance department to find out when you must have request forms in. If you’re applying early action or early decision, check college websites to see if they want your first semester grades sent separately when they’re available.

While deadlines can confound even the most organized student, here’s something to keep in mind as your application process heats up: the annual College Senior Survey, in which 23,423 graduating seniors nationwide participated, reports that most students do not get into their first-choice school. And yet 86 percent were very satisfied or satisfied with their college experience, and 82 percent indicated they would definitely or probably choose again to attend their current school.

If those numbers don’t help you realize that, for almost all students, the admissions process works out favorably, think about this: one way or another, in just three months or less, it will all be over. And then all you’ll have is….the wait.