What To Do After You Submit Your Application

After months of writing essays, describing your activities, talking to your counselor and teachers about letters of recommendation, and gathering all of the other information requested by a college, you finally press that submit button. Now you can take a deep breath and sit back and relax. Or can you? While we encourage you to take that deep breath and pat yourself on the back for all of the hard work you put into your application, there are a few more steps. 

1, Watch your email carefully for instructions from the colleges. Most colleges will send you information on how to set up your application status portal. Take the time to read these emails carefully and follow their instructions. This portal is where you can confirm that the college has received all of the pieces of your application (test scores (if applicable), letters of recommendation, transcript, etc.). The portal may require or recommend additional information such as uploading a resume, writing an optional essay, signing up for an interview, or reporting courses and grades. It would be a shame to put all of the work into an application only to miss the last few steps and not have a complete application. 

In addition to watching for application completion, the portals are usually where you will ultimately receive your admission decision. We recommend bookmarking the link to the portal and keeping your username and password somewhere handy and safe. There is nothing worse than hearing a college has released decisions but not remembering how to access your portal.

2. If your family is applying for financial aid, be sure you know what information is required and when the deadlines are to apply for aid. The FAFSA and the CSS Profile opened on October 1st, so you can complete those applications now. If you have been watching your email carefully, you likely have received emails from the colleges you applied to with this particular information. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the colleges’ financial aid offices with any questions you have. They want to help!

3. Continue to research the colleges you applied to. If a representative from the college will be coming to your high school, try to attend that session and introduce yourself. Whether or not a college tracks demonstrated interest, admissions officers like to meet the applicants. We also suggest following up with an email afterward to thank that individual for taking the time to speak with the students at your school. Continuing to learn about a college may help in the decision-making process when evaluating your options later in the school year.

4. Sign up for interviews if available. Interviews are usually optional, but you should embrace this opportunity if a college offers you one. Interviewing will allow you to give the college more information about yourself and show that you are really interested in attending their school. If you are offered an interview, make sure you are prepared. Before the interview, review the details you have learned about the school and why you would like to attend. We also recommend that you make a list of some questions to ask the interviewer.

5. Continue to work hard in your classes. Now is not the time to let senioritis take over. Colleges may ask for your grades from your first trimester, first quarter, or first semester. And, of course, second semester matters too. Colleges will require a final transcript and can revoke an offer of admission if your grades decline drastically.

6. Along the same lines of not letting senioritis take over, don’t let the excitement of finishing applications cloud your judgment. Colleges will need to be alerted about any disciplinary issues. Save yourself the stress of a possible rescinded offer by continuing to keep your behavior in the classroom, outside of school, and online in check. For more ways to steer clear of senioritis, check out our previous blog post here.

7. Thank your counselor and your teachers for their assistance and for writing your letters of recommendation. You can do this before you have received decisions from your colleges, but be sure to follow up after deciding on a college to let them know what school you will be attending next year.

While this may seem like a lot to do, we promise, the tough part is over (unless you count waiting for decisions). Don’t stop now. Make sure you cross the finish line before you stop to celebrate, but we encourage you to look back and appreciate all you have accomplished. Be proud of yourself and try to savor every moment of the rest of your senior year.