The timeline for applying to college varies depending on the individual student and the colleges they are applying to. Here is a general outline of the steps and timeline for applying to college.

1. Start Early

When it comes to applying for college, starting early is one of the most significant factors to success. It takes time to digest the information, research majors and schools, and achieve the stats, scores, and student snapshots you want to present later in applications. Starting college prep early sets your child up to be able to apply to colleges early as well.

Read more here about "What Goes into College Prep?"

Timing: Most college apps open on August 1st, right before their senior year of high school.

2. Organizing Application Requirements

It's likely that your child is applying to a handful of colleges, so it's best practice to look up each college's requirements and put them in a spreadsheet so you see a snapshot of what they need to work on. Each college's admission requirements are found on its website or the Common App.

Things to look for and track in your spreadsheet are:

• Application: Do they use Common App, Coalition App, or their own application?)

• Admission Plan: Early Action, Early Decision, Restrictive Early Action, Regular

• Deadlines: Based on what admission plan you are going with, what is the deadline?

• Fees: What is the application fee for each school?

• SAT/ACT: Are standardized test scores required? They may be optional or not used at all.

• Transcripts: Do they require official transcripts or use self-reported grades within the app?

• Letters of Rec: How many letters of recommendation are required or suggested?

• Essays: How many essays are required, and what are the prompts?

• Supp Essays: Do they have any supplemental essays for you to prepare?

• Scholarships: Do you have to apply for admission by a specific date to be considered for them?

• Financial Aid: What is their deadline or priority filing date to apply for financial aid?

Timing: Plan to organize application requirements the summer before senior year!

3. Ask Teachers for Letters of Recommendation (2-part process)

You first have to ask your teachers if they will write a letter of recommendation for you. Think of teachers with whom you have a good relationship or who really like you.

Your letters of recommendation are more about your character than your academic performance because colleges can see that reflected in your grades.

After they agree to write your letter, you must electronically invite them into your applications so they can submit it directly to colleges on your behalf. Please do this as soon as applications open so your teachers have the reminder in their inboxes.

Timing: Ask your teachers within the first couple weeks of senior year. Better yet, ask them at the end of junior year!

4. Writing Essays

Most college essays aren't too lengthy, but they can really help you stand out from other applicants. The best strategy for college essays is to organize all of the prompts in a document and work on them in order of deadline. This allows you to identify if similar prompts can be used for more than one college, saving you valuable time in the overall process.

Think about your schedule and give yourself milestones to complete each essay well before the deadline.

Timing: Colleges release their essay prompts as early as May before senior year, so start as early as possible. Take advantage of the extra time over the summer to get some essays out of the way.

5. Applications

College applications are not complex, but they are tedious because of the data entry. The Common App is one online application that you fill out and can be sent to multiple schools, saving you overall time on filling out apps. Not every college uses Common App, but chances are that a few schools on your list do.

Take advantage of this and fill out your Common App over the summer, so it's one extra time-consuming thing off your plate at the beginning of the senior year. Note that not everything rolls over into the new application that opens on August 1st, but most sections do.

Some colleges have their own applications that may become available in September or October of senior year.

Timing: A good time to start filling out the Common App is June before senior year.

6. Financial Aid

Even if you don't think your family will qualify for financial aid, filling out FAFSA and any other forms the school requires is a good idea. Unless you've accurately calculated your family's Expected Contribution (EFC) or Student Aid Index (SAI) and know how each college offers money, it's in your best interest to submit the necessary forms to be considered for the most aid possible.

Some schools even require FAFSA and/or CSS Profile to be considered for merit scholarships. We've even seen some schools that offer a scholarship for just submitting FAFSA on time!

Each college has its own deadlines for financial aid, but you can see what school has the earliest deadline and apply by then.

Timing: FAFSA + CSS Profile open October 1st of senior year. A common deadline is November 1st.

Conclusion:

As you can see, there are many moving parts when applying to college! Starting early makes the process easier so your child can hit their milestones over several months instead of all at the beginning of the senior year.

Looking for personalized help with your college plan? Conscious College Planning is here to guide you and your child through the process so that you can have an easeful experience.

Book a free consultation to see if we are a good fit for your family.

Read on to find out What should students do to prepare for college?