Your Last Minute College Application Checklist

Thanksgiving has come and gone, the Salvation Army Santas are here; the holidays are officially upon us. For most people, this is a time of joy and togetherness. For first semester high school seniors, though, December is anything but. If you planned to â€Å"get everything done† over Thanksgiving break and didn’t, the following few weeks can be extremely stressful. However, stressful doesn’t mean endless, the key to getting through this trying time is to remember that this too shall pass. The end is near; here is a checklist to keep you on track. Is all your testing done? Most schools give you until January or February as the absolute final deadline for getting score in, so check on more time that you have all the required scores being sent to the right schools. Have your teachers submitted their recommendations? Even though you may have sent them the request, it may have gotten lost in their inbox or they may have been a little busy trying to grade all those midterms. So do your part and double check that they know when the deadlines are (nicely, of course)! Are you sure that you would actually enjoy 4 years at one of the schools you are applying to? I’m not saying that you should derail all your plans, but applying to college is a lot easier than trying to transfer somewhere. Really make sure that you would be happy attending (at least) one of the schools on your list. These days, especially with the Common App, it is a lot easier to apply to another school than it used to be, so take one final look and check to see if you missed any schools. Pay the application fees. Make sure you submit any necessary payments to your schools or apply for application fee waivers within the appropriate timeline. Stay calm! This will all be over soon, so this is not the time to lose your cool! You have been planning for this for years - you have studied hard, you have taken the SAT/ACT, you have written the essays, and the finish line is finally in sight. You can do this! Don’t forget about your life. Life will go on no matter what, even if you don’t get into your â€Å"dream† school. Remember everything happens for a reason, so maybe your â€Å"safety† school will really be the perfect fit for you after all. Press submit.