It’s October, which means the Early Decision deadline is just around the corner! A lot of students are getting ready to press submit on this important application. Please continue reading for Vela’s Education’s top tips on what to do when submitting the Common App.
Submit Early
Different schools have different deadlines so it’s important to make sure your calendar is up to date. At Vela Education, we recommend that all our advisees submit their applications at least 48 hours ahead of the deadline. The earlier the better! While the Common App is a great resource, it is also a portal that deals with many applications. On the day of significant US university deadlines – such as the Early Decision deadline on the 1st of November – the Common App has been known to crash or glitch. Submitting your application is stressful enough, make sure to submit early and give yourself enough time to deal with any technology issues.
We recommend that UK students finish their Early Decision applications before their October break and their Regular Decision applications ahead of their winter break.
Proofread
If you create your own deadlines a couple of weeks before you plan to submit, you are giving yourself time to proofread, making sure your application is as good as it can be. Print out your essays and read them out loud. You should also ask someone to look over your essays for you one last time. This can help you spot typos you might not have seen before. Remember to proofread your supplemental essays as well as your personal statement. You can read our top tips on completing the Common App here.
Preview
In the corner of your Common App is the very useful “preview” button. Use the preview setting to read through your application as you finish each section. You can review all the instructions as well and make sure you are submitting all sections correctly. Make sure to do this with a parent or advisor as well. Another set of eyes might help spot any last-minute typos.
Send in your official test scores
If you are sending in official SAT or ACT scores, you can do this through the relevant website. This allows you to choose which colleges receive your scores and those colleges will then receive your official scores directly. Vela Education recommends that you leave the Testing section on the Common App blank. There is no need to self-report on the Common App as you will be sending the official scores to each school individually. This allows students to pick and choose which colleges receive their scores.
Every student has different needs. If you are sending your test scores to every school, you can choose to self-report them on the Common App. However, make sure that these scores are above the benchmark for every school to which you are applying.
FERPA
Before you can send off your application, you will be asked to waive your FERPA rights. Although this is phrased as a question, it is important that you waive these rights. For a US college application, a student is not supposed to be able to view the official school documents sent on their behalf. This is not a choice. If you do not release these rights, your school may not be able to send over the relevant documents and your application may be marked as incomplete.
Individual College Portals
Once you have applied, the work doesn’t stop! You should receive an email from your colleges with application portal instructions. These portals allow you to login to the school directly and check on your application. Colleges will also use these portals to communicate important information. It is your responsibility to check the college portal and make sure that each university receives all the components required for your application.
Applying to the US can be a stressful process. If you have any questions, or even if you are nearing the end of the application cycle, Vela Education is here to help! We can assist with all parts of the application process. You can contact us here.