Applying College Well: An Important To-Do List

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It is often said that the devil is in the details. The last thing you want to happen is for your thoughtful, carefully prepared case for admission, including a terrific essay, to be sabotaged by minor details. The article offer the list to help you keep track of all those little things that can make a big difference.  Take a quick look at it now. When you are actually ready to apply, review it again carefully, and then double-check it several times along the way to be sure you have all the bases covered.

• Keep close track of all deadlines—they will vary from college to college. It is easy to forget when things are due when you have multiple applications and a lot going on at school and at home. Develop a system that will work for you and then use it to be sure everything gets done (and sent) on time.
• Be sure to spell your name exactly the same way on all your application materials, SAT or ACT registration, and any correspondence. If you use your middle initial, use it every time on every form for every college-related purpose. Get into the habit of doing this right at the beginning and avoid the hassle of having three copies of every college mailing arrive at your house, or test scores or recommendation letters that go astray. If your social security number is required, be sure you enter it correctly each time.
• Make sure your e-mail address reflects your maturity. Save imtoosexy@hotstuffmail.com for communication with your friends, and get another address, from a reliable provider, for your college applications. Don’t laugh; they do notice. And while we are on the topic of maturity, be sure that your postings on Facebook, YouTube, or similar Web sites don’t contain things that would be embarrassing to you. You never know who may get access to them and at what point.
• Keep a copy of everything you send in, including online applications and other written and e-mail correspondence. Make sure you submit all parts of the application, along with the application fee if one is required, by the indicated deadlines. Don’t wait until the last minute to file—unanticipated problems can happen near the deadline. If you are filing electronically, check online to see that both parts of your application, the basic part and any supplement, have been received.
• Give all those who are writing recommendations for you everything they need to submit them on time. Make up packets that include the appropriate recommendation forms (with identifying information legibly filled out at the top) and include a stamped, addressed envelope for each form with the school as the return address. Sign the waiver if the forms have one and put a Post-it note on each form with the due date. Put everything in one big manila envelope with your name and the due date for each recommendation clearly written on the outside. Do the same for the secondary school reports that you give to your counselor. Arrange to pay for the transcripts that colleges typically request, if your school has such a policy.
• File your financial aid forms promptly, even if you and your parents have to estimate the preceding year’s figures. Keep copies of everything you use to fill out the forms. You may need to produce them as part of the data verification process.
• Ask the College Board or ACT, or both, to send your scores to the colleges of your choice. Both the College Board and ACT will now send only the scores you ask them to send. Each gives you a limited number of free score reports if you provide the names of the colleges at the time of testing. Later reports can be purchased online, by mail, or by phone. Be sure you send your test results in time. Allow at least three weeks for regular delivery of scores. You can pay for rush delivery, but it is expensive and unnecessary if you plan ahead, except for November scores if you apply early. This is your responsibility, not your high school’s, even if they put your scores on the transcript. The scores you report for yourself on the Common Application are unofficial as well. The colleges require official scores, sent by the testing agencies.
• Be sure to keep all correspondence that may come from your colleges after you apply. Some may come by Postal Service and some via e-mail. You will probably get a password to access the status of your application online, as well as the final decision. Keep your password in a safe place—and remember where you put it.
• Check the status of your application about three to four weeks after everything was sent. It can take quite a while for forms to be opened and sorted, and information is not always immediately posted online. If a college doesn’t have a Web site where you can check your application’s status, be patient. The admissions staff will contact you if something is missing. It drives them crazy to get hundreds of anxious phone calls. You can always send something in again, even late, if it actually went missing in transit, and you won’t be hurt by that.
• Stay alert for phone messages or e-mail from alumni interviewers if your colleges offer such interviews. Read the college material to see whether you have to formally request an interview (and by what date) or if you will be contacted automatically (and when). If you do not hear from someone in the time frame indicated, call or e-mail the admissions office.
• By mid-January, request that your high school send your fall semester grades to each college that requires them as part of the regular decision application process. Colleges typically include a “midyear report” form in the application package for this purpose. Some high schools send a new transcript; others submit the grades right on the form itself. The midyear report form also invites the counselor to note any significant additions or changes to your academic, extracurricular, or character record. Here good news can be added or problems noted. Once again, provide a stamped, addressed envelope for each college, unless told otherwise.
• If you have a new major honor or accomplishment after you apply, send a note to the admissions office asking that this information be added to your file. Make sure your name and social security number are clearly indicated at the top. But don’t add something insignificant. It can look as if you are trying too hard.