Students go to college to help develop the skills they need to succeed in life, but not every lesson college teaches comes from professors. Time management is one of the most important skills you can develop, and it’s one of the first things college teaches you, and it happens before you even get your acceptance letter. To get into the college of your dreams, you need to plan ahead and do everything you need to in a timely matter. To help you get your college application in on time we’ve prepared this guide.
Learn The Timeline
There is no one set of due dates that covers every school. This means that each school gets to decide when they’ll stop accepting applications, so you need to take the initiative and find out the dates for the schools that you are interested in. If you’re still not sure which schools you want to apply to then now would be a good time to start narrowing things down!
The quickest way to learn due dates is to log onto the website of the school you’re interested in applying for. Just about every college has a section on their website dedicated to helping prospective students through the application process. If you are having trouble finding the information online, then look for contact information you can use to call or email a representative from the college for information.
In addition to asking for the application cut off date, you should also look into what they are looking for in an application. Different colleges require different documents, don’t assume that one application will fit every school you’re considering.
Record The Information You Find
It isn’t enough to just look at a due date and assume you’ll remember it. Unless you have a photographic memory, you’re going to need to write down these dates, and even if you’re confident in your memory, it’s still worth keeping records.
Consider setting up a physical or digital calendar to keep track of important dates. Don’t just mark down the absolute last day that you can send your application of, you should also try and mark one week out, two weeks out, and other essential landmarks, so you get a sense of how much time you really have.
Act As Soon As Possible
Remember that it takes time to correctly put together a college application. You don’t just need to account for mailing the letter off, you also need to plan for gathering relevant transcripts, test scores, essays, and anything else that the school requires. Getting your application essay or letters of recommendation can take some serious time, so if you don’t have them now, then you should start working on them as soon as possible. You don’t want to find yourself working all night to finish your application essay before the day it’s due.
The best time to apply for the college of your dreams is today. The next best time would be tomorrow. Time is of the essence, so don’t procrastinate. Missing one due date might not seem like a big deal to you now, but if you don’t show colleges that you’re serious during the application process then why should they believe you’ll be a serious student once you’re attending their school? Put in the effort to apply for school ahead of schedule and you can start your college career off on the right foot.