Pixabay user TeroVesalainen
In general, students who submit early applications have a much higher chance of getting accepted in the early round. This is because an early application tells the school that they are your first choice. It shows your interest in enrolling. However, other students also applying to college early may hurt your acceptance odds. Those students are likely to have very competitive applications. To improve the odds in your favor, you must make sure that you submit an application that is just as impressive.
Making a checklist will help you keep track of the different requirements and deadlines of the various schools that you are applying to. It would be a shame if you met all of the eligibility criteria but your application was rejected on a technicality.
Here are some of the items you should have on your early application checklist:
Transcripts
Students’ transcripts are usually sent directly from the school office in electronic form. To be on the safe side, you should make sure to obtain a sealed, official copy that you can mail to the college in the event that there is any problem with your school sending it.
Standardized Test Scores
Your SAT, ACT, and other test scores are generally sent along with your transcripts. However, some schools do not consider test scores that are sent with the transcript. They want to see the official score report. Before submitting your application, make sure and check what the school requires. If they want the official score report, check that you released the scores to them.
Recommendation Letters
It is especially important to keep track of your recommendation letters and double-check that they are submitted. You can check the status of your recommendation letters in your Common Application. If your teacher or advisor submitted the letter online, there will be a notification in the Common Application. If you don’t see any notification, you will have to call and ask if they have submitted the letter through the mail. Make sure they have mailed the letter and it’s not lying forgotten in their drawer.
Re-Check All Information
There is so much information you need to provide with the application. That includes your academic records, family details, address, phone number, email, and more. Making one little mistake while filling in the details could impact your whole application. If there is a mistake in the contact details, the college will not be able to get in touch with you. A mistake in your academic records may result in a rejection because it appears not to meet the eligibility criteria.
Tick All The Boxes
Your checklist should feature all of the requirements mentioned on the college’s website. You should consider your application ready to submit only after you have ticked all the relevant boxes. Colleges reject an incomplete application outright, putting all of your efforts to waste. After you have put everything together, it is vital to take time and double-check on all components of the application. Make sure that it is complete in all respects.
Use College Raptor to discover personalized college matches, cost estimates, acceptance odds, and potential financial aid for schools around the US—for FREE!
