Adrianne is a Senior Admissions Counselor and TV/film director, producer, writer, and actress currently based in LA. She uses her experience in multiple disciplines to help students achieve their personal and academic goals.
Whether you’ve never thought about college admissions at all or already have your college essays outlined, it’s good to know what the college application process looks like, step by step.
Table of Contents
Introduction
While the college admissions process technically only takes place over the course of a few months during a student’s senior year, the truth is that prepping for college applications often takes much longer. For instance, just creating a college list and completing college tours can take students a while, even longer than a year for more indecisive students.
Every student’s college admissions journey looks different, but if you’re thinking about and planning out your or your child’s college application timeline, here are some general guidelines to follow to make sure you’re not missing any application deadlines.
Before You Start: Key Dates & Terms to Know
If you’re new to the college planning process as a whole, there are a lot of terms and important dates that get thrown around that you may not have come across yet. Don’t worry — we’re here to break them down!
- Regular Decision: The term “Regular Decision” refers to the standard, non-binding deadline for most college applications, which often falls between January 1st and January 15th.
- Early Action: Early Action, or “EA,” refers to an early deadline for a college application, often falling between October 15th and November 15th. This is not binding, although some schools practice Single-Choice Early Action, which means you can only apply EA to that school if you choose to apply EA.
- Early Decision: Early Decision, or “ED,” refers to an early deadline for a college application that is binding. You can only apply ED to one school, and, if accepted, you have preemptively agreed to attend. If you want to learn more about applying early (EA or ED), check out our guide to Early Action and Early Decision!
- Demonstrated Interest: Demonstrated interest is a practice in many admissions offices (although not all) wherein a student’s level of interaction with and interest in the school is tracked and considered as part of their application. This includes tours (including virtual tours), involvement in Q&A sessions, and communication with the admissions office, applying ED, and more.
- Letter of Recommendations: Letters of recommendation are usually a required part of the college application and are usually completed by the student’s guidance counselor and 2 teachers of their choice, although this varies depending on the school. Some schools allow students to submit supplemental letters of recommendation from mentors, coaches, directors, or other figures of authority in the student’s life.
- Alumni Interviews: Alumni interviews are often conducted after a student has completed their application, although that can depend on the availability of alumni in the student’s region. They’re usually an optional part of the application process, but they can substantially benefit students if they go well.
The Big Picture: What You Should Finish by Each Stage
Want an even more detailed breakdown of the college application journey? We’ve got you covered — here’s what you should be aiming to complete on a month-by-month basis.
Month-by-Month Timeline
January (Junior Year) – Set the Foundation
In January of your junior year (and maybe even before), you should already have a bit of a handle on what kind of schools you’re looking for and, ideally, you’ll have already completed any necessary standardized testing requirements. If not, ideally, you have a plan for completing them/raising your scores within the next few months; this is a great time to invest in some test prep.
You may not have a fully formulated college list yet, but you may already have some in-person college tours lined up for spring break, and/or you’ve signed up for some virtual tours and information sessions. This is a great time to dive even deeper into your research and start outlining which schools are “likely, “target,” and “reach” for you.
February – Strategy & Research Month
In February of your junior year, you can build upon this research and start finalizing your college list. Maybe you can explore some wild card schools that weren’t initially on your radar or start adding schools where you might be competitive for scholarships.
This is also the time that many competitive summer programs have deadlines as well, so make sure that you already have a good handle on what you’ll be doing in your summer months. It’ll be here before you know it!
March – Testing + Spring Momentum
If you’d planned on retaking your standardized tests, the spring is a great time to get that final score. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself around the time of your semester exams, which are often in May or June, so you can use any time off for spring break to do your final study push. And don’t forget about that summer planning in the meantime — it’s an ideal time to continue building your activities list if you haven’t already done so.
April – Activities & Impact Building
Speaking of building your activities list, you still have time by April to use your extracurricular activities to boost your college application. If you don’t have an extracurricular focus, look into community service programs or consider starting your own passion project. If you need help, you might be a great fit for the H&C Incubator, which helps students think like entrepreneurs and build their own capstone projects (even if you’ve only got a few months left until you submit your application). Additionally, this would be a great time to get involved in local competitions to earn awards and honors that could be added to your profile.
You can still be doing college research if needed, especially by attending any college fairs and making trackers for your college deadlines. You could look even further into scholarship programs and/or make a financial aid plan.
May – Lock Testing & Recommendation Plan
May is usually the season of semester and AP exams, so you want to put your focus primarily on your studies — your grades are the most important element of your college application after all. Make sure you have an idea of what you might need to get on your exams to get the grades that you want, and make a study plan according to your test dates. Also, by now, ideally, you have finished your standardized tests and are aware of which schools you might want to apply to test-optional, depending on the colleges’ testing policies and your scores in comparison to their middle-50% scores.
Additionally — and this varies high school-to-high school and teacher-to-teacher — this is a great time to think ahead about letters of recommendation. Who are the teachers in whose classes you’ve excelled and/or improved drastically? Which teachers do you think know you best and can speak to your best qualities? Teachers usually get multiple requests for rec letters, so by asking this early (if allowed), you’ll give them plenty of time to spend on making yours stand out.
June – College List + Summer Execution
The Common Application opens at the beginning of June, making it a great internal deadline for you to finalize your college list. You can start adding schools to your Common App account and get a full picture of the applications you’ll be working on over the next few months. Prompts for the Common Application are also released at the beginning of June every year, so you can officially start working on your essays — although they’re usually the same every time, so that doesn’t mean you can’t get started even earlier!
Summer is also a great time to finish up any college tours and participate in some summer programs and activities. Need some inspiration? We’ve got you covered.
July – Essay Drafting Month
In between your summer activities, you should indeed be making some serious progress on your personal statement and supplemental essays. While the personal essay in particular might take you longer, if you’ve already done significant research while building your college list, you might be able to tackle some “Why School” supplemental essays.
Remember, with your supplemental essays, you want to be as specific as possible as to why you want to attend the school in question. How do their specific programs and offerings connect to your unique interests? You can also mention any experiences you’ve had touring the school or visiting campus.
August – Finalize Early Applications
It may seem too early to talk about finalizing your early college applications (and granted, they can still be edited until you submit — submitting before the deadline doesn’t give you an advantage), but those deadlines are approaching more quickly than you think. You should at least have made progress on the applications you’ll be submitting in the fall.
If you’re not sure if you want to apply early, if you’re applying to a very competitive school, which is a school with acceptance rates below 20-25%, applying early does give a statistical advantage. It shows that you have enthusiasm for the school and can help you get a decision back before you’ve even finished the semester. There aren’t many downsides to applying Early Action; however, Early Decision should be considered more thoroughly since it is binding upon acceptance.
September (Senior Year) – Application Build Month
Ideally, you’re already a few drafts into your essays, so it’s time to focus more on the rest of your application, like your Activities List and Honors & Awards. You may think this is just a simple list, but you can optimize the very limited space you’re giving to convey the impact that you made in your extracurricular activities. You get such limited space in your Common App — make the most of it!
This is also a great time to make sure your counselor and teacher recommendations are in order, as well as planning for any scholarship and/or financial aid applications you’ll be making along with your college applications. If applying, make sure you fill out your FAFSA and CSS Profile. Also, if you’ve received National Merit semifinalist status (usually notifications go out around September), you’ll be submitting your scholarship applications soon.
October – Early Deadlines + Final Review
The early deadlines begin around this time, so you may be submitting your first applications this month! If not, you’ll be submitting them very soon (and if you are ready to submit, you certainly don’t have to wait until the deadline to click submit). Make sure you have any trusted teachers/counselors/parents look over your essays just to get another set of eyes on them before you send them off for good!
November – Keep Submitting + Stay Organized
So, you’ve sent off your first round of applications — first of all, congratulations are in order! Just completing the application is an achievement, so know that you’re one big, big step closer to achieving your goals.
However, don’t let this celebration slow your momentum; it’s not over yet (most likely, unless you got lucky and are only submitting to schools early). Your school work might also be picking up around this time, so make sure that you stay organized so your grades don’t slip in the admissions chaos. You’re so close to the finish line, even if it doesn’t feel like it!
December – Decisions + RD Push
In mid-December, many schools release decisions for the early rounds of applications. The exact date varies depending on the school, but usually it falls around December 15th, often right before winter break begins for most students. You’ll get one of three responses: accepted, deferred, or rejected. Not sure what to do after you receive your early decision? Check out this blog post.
December also means semester exams and then the holidays immediately after. While it may be tempting to take a (well-deserved!) break, especially if you didn’t get the best news after EA or ED, don’t lose steam — make sure you give as much attention to your RD applications and keep up your grades, especially if you were deferred from your first-choice school. You will now be submitting your senior year first-semester grades, like all other RD applicants, so they will figure into your admissions chances.
January – Final Deadlines + Follow-Ups
In January, your final deadlines are upon you — once you give your apps your all, hit submit, and take a break! You’ve earned it. Once you get a little R&R, then you can turn your attention to the next steps: writing a Letter of Continued Interest (if you’re deferred) and preparing for alumni interviews (more about this in the next section).
If you’re confused about what a Letter of Continued Interest is and how you should write one, you can check out this blog post written by a former Dartmouth admissions officer on what they look for in LoCIs.
February – Interviews + Scholarships + Patience
Once you submit your application, you may be contacted by a school’s alumni association to set up an interview with an alum of the school. These can either be virtual or in-person, or some schools may not be able to offer interviews for students in your area — it just depends.
If you’re not offered an interview, it doesn’t mean you’re not being considered; interviews are often run separately from admissions offices. Upon conclusion of the interview, the interviewer will send a report to the admissions officers about the interview. Curious about an interviewer’s POV on the process? Check out this blog post.
You might also have interviews for specific scholarships or more applications for scholarships due around this time. Or maybe you’re just waiting for your decisions to be released — some do come out in February, but for the most part, February is a time for students to be patient.
March – Decision Season Begins
March is when the decisions start rolling in — Ivy Day, or the day that the eight Ivy League schools release their decisions, usually falls around March 31st. You’ll mostly hear one of three responses: accepted, waitlisted, or denied. Unless you’re waitlisted (and click here to see what you can do to improve your chances when waitlisted), your decision is final; it’s incredibly rare that any decision is successfully appealed, if at all possible.
April – Compare Offers Like a Pro
Now, it’s your time to decide! By now, you should’ve heard back from every school, so you can compare your options. Many schools offer admitted students weekends to give you an even better sense of campus culture and allow you to talk to admissions and current students in person. You’ll also be making your financial plans and comparing offers; don’t hesitate to ask financial aid offices to negotiate, especially if you received a better offer elsewhere.
Make sure you look beyond the name brand and really envision what life would look like, both at the school and post-grad. Many students benefit from making a list of their nonnegotiables for choosing a college and then comparing pros and cons accordingly. This is a huge decision, so be smart and follow your instincts!
May – Commit + Next Steps
You’ve done an extra round of tours during admitted students weekends and reviewed financial aid packages — now it’s time to make a decision. Most schools require an answer from you by May 1st, along with an enrollment deposit if you’re accepting.
This gets a little tricky if you’re waitlisted — some schools accept waitlisted students as late as August — because you might be forfeiting your deposit at your original school if accepted off a waitlist. But even if you’re waitlisted, you want to choose a school from your offers that you genuinely like and would enjoy attending. Transferring is always a possible option, but above all else, you want to ensure you have a school to go to come fall.
And then, once you’ve accepted and finished exams, you can take a step back and pat yourself on the back. You have successfully completed the college admissions process!
Common Mistakes That Derail the Timeline
Planning ahead for college applications, sometimes as early as freshman and sophomore years, can help students avoid common mistakes in the college admissions process. These mistakes may include missing deadlines, misreading essay prompts, not following precise instructions given by the admissions office, not sending test scores and rec letters correctly, and more.
Many such mistakes can be avoided with careful organization and strategic planning — your timeline by no means has to match the one above exactly, but the one we’ve provided gives you ample time to deal with any unexpected setbacks and add/remove schools from your list as needed. You can make the most of your college apps by not feeling rushed; you want to hit submit knowing you put your absolute best foot forward.
FAQ (examples of questions):
When are college applications due?
College applications are typically due in the fall, but the exact deadlines vary depending on which cycle you’re applying for. For early applications (including Early Action and Early Decision), the deadline is often between October 15th and November 15th, with results released mid-December (if you’re deferred, you’ll automatically move onto the Regular Decision round). Regular Decision usually falls between January 1st and 15th, with decisions being released in the spring (April/May).
It’s important to note that some schools, especially state schools, have rolling admissions deadlines and/or may have several different early and regular deadlines, i.e., Tulane has four different deadlines for different rounds of Early Action and Early Decision.
When do college applications open?
As mentioned above, the Common Application opens June 1st, and most non-Common App applications open around the same time. Per usual, it depends on the school, but it’s important to note that many applications remain fundamentally similar year-to-year, meaning you could start working on them even earlier than summer if you can.
Is junior year the most important?
The idea that junior year is the most important academic year in terms of college admissions is an oft-repeated sentiment. It’s true in many regards — junior year is usually when students are taking the most advanced classes of their high school career, such as AP and International Baccalaureate courses. These usually carry the most weight on a student’s transcript. And if you’re applying early, admissions officers only see your grades through 11th grade (unless you’re deferred).
But don’t plan to slack off until 11th grade! Your entire academic career in high school will be considered. 11th grade is a great time to improve your GPA if you may have struggled in 9th and 10th grades; admissions committees love to see this kind of turnaround in your academic trajectory.
How many colleges should I apply to?
There’s no magic number of schools to which you should apply, but many students find themselves submitting to 10-30 schools. It sounds like a lot (it is!), but many students add schools that don’t have supplemental essays at the last minute or add more schools to balance out the mix of reach, target, and likely schools on their list.
So, how many schools you should apply to is a very personal decision, but be realistic — choose to apply to a wide mix of schools that fit your preferences but, statistically, almost guarantee that you’ll have some options once decisions are released.
What if I miss Early Action?
If you miss Early Action, it’s not the end of the world. In fact, it’s better to delay submitting your application if it isn’t finished or polished as opposed to submitting early for the sake of submitting early. So, just wait until Regular Decision and use the extra time to make sure your application is in tip-top shape.
What if I’m starting late in senior year?
What “late” means is relative and varies person-to-person — sometimes, students need one week to write an essay, while others need three months. Know yourself and how you work, and make a plan with your guidance counselor to maximize your chances of success. If you’re adding a school to your list at the last minute, make sure you’re not compromising other important applications to make that happen. Figure out how you work best, and make your plans.
You may have heard stories of students writing essays 2 hours before the deadline and getting accepted; please know that this is the absolute minority of students. Don’t put yourself in this position; you are likely to be the rule, not the exception.
Conclusion
College admissions can be a grueling process, but with early planning and preparation, you can avoid the downsides that many students face. No pressure, but this decision will change your life, ideally for the better. That should inspire you to invest in yourself and set yourself up for success!
Need help with your application? Set up a free consultation with one of our college admissions counselors today!
