We’re heading for a big day in the college application cycle: the Common Application live August 1. We’ll see the supplemental essays for the colleges on your list and get down to work.
How can you prepare for the day and the process?
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Don’t panic. Set yourself small goals, not sweeping plans. It will all get done.
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Break down the components.
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Work on your college list. It’s not necessary to have it locked up yet. Find resources for how to choose colleges here. Be aware of what has changed in choosing colleges since COVID and test-optional swept the country right here.
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Get to work on your Common Application Essay. Prompts have been out since February. Need inspiration? Try here and here.
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Assuming you have 3, 4, 5, or 13 colleges on your list, make a master list of the supplements either from last year or from this year. The following Common App colleges have already revealed their supps for 2022-23: Cornell, University of Miami, University of Virginia, and University of Chicago.
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Most supplements stay the same from year to year. But when the new ones come out on August 1, check to see if there are any changes.
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Be sure you know if there are any non-Common Application colleges on your list! For example, these universities do not use the Common App and have their own assortment of essays: University of California, University of Texas, and MIT.
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If you are applying to non-Common App colleges as well as Common App colleges, I usually suggest doing the non-Common App essays first, since they are shorter, more direct, and will give you material with which to do the Common App essay and many supplements.
To learn what I can do for you and your application essay, Please click here.
To learn about all that has changed in college admissions since COVID and test-optional policies, please read this!
To learn more about my values as a college admissions essay coach, please click here. For information about merit aid in college applications, please read this.
Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com 1-855-99-ESSAY
I’ll be here on August 1 — and before — so you’ll be ready to tackle the Common Application Live August 1.