College Applications and Deadlines:
Many college application deadlines are in January and February. However, the deadlines are in the fall, if you want full consideration for scholarships, or if you want to apply to ‘early admission’ or ‘early decision’. For example, NSA’s application deadline is February 15th, but for early admission, it’s December 1st. If you know where you want to go, there may be advantages to applying and committing early, such as scholarships as an incentive. For more information about early applications, here is a helpful article: https://bigfuture.
Most applications are online, so if you’re interested in a particular college, look on the internet now and quickly determine what is required, so nothing surprises you:
- Check specific deadlines, and don’t wait until the last minute.
- Some require essays and written references – these take some time. If you need references, choose carefully, ask with plenty of time, and thank them profusely.
- Almost all colleges will require SAT or ACT scores (a few make these optional). Most will take your best score.
- Some colleges charge a fee for applications, while others offer them for free. Some charge you a fee, and then, if you choose to attend, they refund the payment. Count the cost!
Common App:
Over 700 colleges use the “Common Application,” a single online application that can be sent to multiple schools of your choice. It is beneficial when applying to numerous colleges. Only a few local colleges use it. See https://www.commonapp.org for more info.