What to do after early college applications are submitted

 

Congratulations for those students who pushed the send button in their Common App screen and saw the online confetti fly.   What’s next? The natural tendency is to think that everything is complete, and complacency can set in after what has been an exhaustive admission process. It is not uncommon for students to want to be "done" with the application effort regardless of the consequences of not staying fully engaged with the process. 

This is probably the most competitive process that they have ever faced and one in which they have little control over.  So, understanding what can be done and doing so with a cool, level head can reap some great rewards. Students and parents should remain engaged until the day they enroll with a deposit and consider the following:

1. Check your email: Be sure that there are no issues with the submission as best you can. Stay up to date to see if the school needs something else.
2. If applying for Financial Aid, be sure that the FAFSA and College Profile have been received at the schools you have applied to. Reach out to the Financial Aid office at each school if you have any questions and use their Fin Aid calculators.
3. Check each school’s portal if provided:
   1. It’s possible that they may track your online activity to gauge your interest.      
   2. They may have another essay for you to fill out
   3. There is a potential follow-up event in your area.
   4. They may offer an interview if it is a highly selective college
4. Communicate any Extraordinary National Awards or Recognition that were just received, but ONLY if so powerful that it would dramatically improve your admission chances (#1 in the state, top National award/recognition.)
5. Get ready for the next wave. The gap between hearing about early decisions and ED2/Regular deadlines is typically 2-3 weeks.
   1. Revisit the next schools on your list and add or remove any that don’t seem to fit any longer
   2. Prioritize the remaining essays to be written
   3. Draft the essays
   4. Submit if:
      1.  You did not get into your first choice school(s) 
      2. You plan to wait till all admission decisions have been received

Let us help with guiding the student and family through each phase of the college process and avoiding the bulk of the unintended complacency at these critical junctures.    Reach out to us to learn more. 

Best Regards,

Neal Schwartz, Owner

College Planning of Westchester  

nschwartz@collegeplanningofwestchester.com

914-273-2353 (office)

914-500-5899 (mobile/text)