Updated: Thursday, December 19, 2024
It’s finally winter break. Family members clad in sweatpants sit around on a weekday with relaxed smiles on their faces. As they chat with one another, they can’t help but smile in their relaxation and contentment.
But all you can think about is the application that’s halfway done, the essay that’s 200 words above the limit, and the supplement that’s not yet started. You aren’t relaxed at all — instead, you are equally itching and dreading going back to your room with your noise-canceling headphones and your college application to-do list. For you, the joy of the holidays is practically a myth.
Typically, a college will receive half of its applications within 48 hours of the deadline. We have seen too many seniors stressed during the holidays, scrambling to hit submit at 11:59 p.m. on December 31 instead of ringing in the new year.
We don’t want students to miss out on the most wonderful time of the year, so we have a different deadline: December 23. It’s not required but highly recommended. Whether or not you have family holidays in the days to follow, you deserve to properly enjoy your time off from school after an incredibly busy four months.
Here are our five tips to help students stay organized so they can turn in the strongest college applications while also properly enjoying winter break.
Continue to focus on your coursework so you can turn in a glowing mid-year report. The mid-year report is sent to all colleges to which you applied Regular Decision, as well as any to which you are deferred, and it encompasses your grades from your first two quarters/first trimester.
The supreme challenge during the fall of senior year is that you must get your best grades in the hardest classes you’ve had while applying to multiple colleges. It’s crucial to accomplish all three. Because school should always come first, how do you best balance the college application aspect?
If you haven’t done so already, make a spreadsheet of all the schools you haven’t yet applied to, sorted by their deadlines. Create columns with the following headers:
As you scan the list of schools, add an X for each that apply. The schools with the most will require the most attention.
Just because they are shorter does not mean they are easier! Your supplements are arguably more important than the personal statement on the application. Supplemental essays allow you to show more of who you are. An admission counselor should learn something new after reading each essay, so take advantage of supplements to display a variety of experiences and opinions.
Institutions add writing supplements because they are looking for students who are willing to put in more work and research specific to them. A well-written, tailored supplement that genuinely feels like the student put in careful time and effort will be noticed — and will often tip the scales when close decisions are being made.
College admissions interviews are almost always optional — which is code for highly recommended. It’s another way to give your application a boost and set you apart.
Interviews can be conducted on campus by admission staff or may be conducted in person or virtually with alumni or student volunteers. Regardless of format, the deadline to request or have your interview is always before that final application deadline. Map out your commitments before December 23 — you may suddenly realize you only have a handful of days that you can make a trip to that campus.
Finally, putting in interview requests now saves you from the frenzy of trying to schedule at the last minute. Trust us, final-day interview gridlock is worse than holiday traffic.
Many universities track demonstrated interest, meaning a campus visit, an interview, or even an email is logged into your file and influences your chances of admission. As you’re applying to schools on your list, you will come across accomplished faculty, impressive offerings, and unique traditions — these are perfect topics about which to email your admission counselor.
We discourage emailing your admission counselor every two weeks, but a thoughtful email with real questions every two months will show you care about the school and are interested in learning more. And, from an admission standpoint, it’s in your best interest.
The last couple of weeks before January 1 application deadlines can be the most stressful for college-bound seniors. It’s not uncommon for students to need help reviewing applications, refining essays, and more at zero hour. IvyWise offers short-term senior programs to help you finish your essays and confidently submit the best applications possible.
The Common Application opens on August 1, and for many rising seniors this is the perfect opportunity to get a head start on their college applications before the start of the school year. However, before students dive into their college application essays, they need to know what’s true, and what’s false, about these common application essay myths.
Students will spend a lot of time stressing over their college applications, but small mistakes like a typo in an essay won’t send you to the “no” pile — it’s common college application red flags that students need to address in order to improve their admission chances.
