Because applying to college will be different for everyone, there will be several things that you need to be honest with yourself about. You’ll need to have a frank conversation with your parents on how you can afford college; you’ll need to figure out what the most important parts of the next stage of your life are. Do you want to remain close to family or move to the California coastline? Do you want to go to a small liberal arts college for smaller classes or go to a big school that offers more course options? Is your desired major (if you already have one) going to play a part in where you want to go? How many “reach” schools compared to “safety” schools do you want to apply to? My suggestion is to sit down and really think about how you’re prioritizing these different elements—cost, location, school size, and your major. Which will play the biggest part in your decision and what are the answers to each? I would suggest finalizing a list of schools that you are planning to apply to by the end of the July after your junior year. Common App opens in August and you’ll be able to see each school’s official writing supplement for the first time. When this came out for me, I created a list of schools and put it into a Google spreadsheet I’m still using and will use until May. I can not suggest the spreadsheet approach enough—it has proved so helpful to me ever since I made it back in July.
Each part of this small spreadsheet played a part in saving my sanity as the grueling months of college apps became a reality. I had every single essay for every school linked on one document, kept track of where I was at with the essay through color coding and gave a brief description of what the supplement was. (As you can see, most of the prompts are something along the lines of “Why do you want to go to this college?”) I also kept track of whether I had visited the school, if they offered an interview, and if I had done an interview with them. The most important part is having the application deadlines easy to access. I color-coded everything (because it soothes me). I marked my early decision school in green, my early action in purple, and my regular decision in yellow. Just having everything in one space made me feel so much more in control. I could not have gone through this process without my spreadsheet. As you can tell, I formed a real emotional attachment to it.
After your list is done and your spreadsheet is created, you need to get serious about writing those supplements. I had a pretty polished rough draft of my main essay and every supplement by the time senior year began. Perhaps that seems overzealous or like really on top of it—as many people told me—but if there’s one thing I hope you take from this article is that there is nothing I think is more important than being prepared. The first semester of senior year will not be easier for you—your first quarter senior grades are arguably more important than your junior year grades. Having to deal with writing your supplements on top of school is just too much.
Instead, I used the time between school starting and the November application deadlines to edit my supplements. I had two English teachers read over my essays (thank you, Ms. Piacquadio and Ms. Thomson!) Their comments proved extremely useful. Remember, your English teachers have read these essays before and they know what they’re talking about—don’t neglect these resources. Run your essay by your peers or by a parent or family friend as well. Chances are they will all have different things to add or maybe they’ll all say the same thing and then you know it really needs to be changed. If you’re applying to schools with a November deadline, set a mid-October deadline for your supplements to be totally finished to give yourself some room.
There is no doubt in my mind that everyone has a different way they go through this process. My advice may not apply to you, and that’s completely fine. I do hope that all of the juniors entering this season know to just take it one step at a time. Take advice and lean on those around you but remember that you’re the one who has to live with your decision. The only thing I can promise is that it really will turn out alright.