As mentioned above, most of these especially selective colleges set a priority deadline or invite students to apply as early in the fall as possible. Given this preference for early applications, when should you apply to your rolling admissions schools? And how can you plan out your application? Since applications are reviewed as they roll in, you should get your application in early.
If your school has a priority deadline, then you definitely want to meet that. If not, it's a good idea to set a deadline for yourself in the fall or winter.
You could apply in November, December, or, at the latest, January. Not only may applying earlier give you a competitive edge, but it also helps you keep track of your application requirements.
Many pieces of your application take months, if not years, to prepare. By setting a deadline for yourself, you can plan out when to take the SAT or ACT, when to ask for recommendation letters, and when to start writing your college essay. Many students take the tests three or more times to achieve their target scores. Not only does the experience of taking the test help you know what to expect for next time, but you can prep effectively in between administrations by understanding your mistakes.
If your school has a November priority deadline, then you'd only have one senior year test date, in September or October. Ideally, you'd have all your testing done by the end of junior year. You could take it for the first time in the spring of 10th grade, twice in junior year, and leave the senior year date as a back up just in case you need to test again. If you're applying a month or two later, like in January, then you might be able to fit in another testing date senior year in November or December.
Achieving your target SAT or ACT scores is a process that can takes months of planning and studying, Make sure to plan ahead, even if you're applying to a college with no set deadline. Similarly, setting a deadline for yourself will help you collect letters of recommendation. Just as students are busy applying in the first half of senior year, teachers and counselors are busy writing hundreds or thousands of recommendation letters.
You should speak to your counselor about your plans and request letters from teachers at least a month before your deadlines. Many students also ask junior year teachers at the end of 11th grade. Besides giving your teachers time to craft a thoughtful letter, asking early ensures that they're more likely to say yes.
Many teachers set a cap on how many rec letter requests they'll accept, so you could be out of luck if you wait too long. Meeting with your teachers, sharing your thoughts and goals, and making your recommendation requests are more reasons to set a specific application deadline for yourself. Finally, you should be working on your personal essay, and any other supplemental essays, a few months before you apply.
While your teachers and counselor spend time on their recommendation letters, you'll also need to spend time brainstorming, drafting, and revising your personal essay.
It's a good idea to start working on it over the summer before senior year. You can read the essay prompts at the beginning of the summer and let ideas swirl in your head for a few weeks. The essay requires you to share a profound, meaningful experience that communicates something important about your identity.
You're not going to think of the perfect topic right away, nor will you be able to scribble it off in a day. Part of your process should be mulling over ideas and allowing your creativity to percolate while you narrow down your thoughts. Some students even change their topics after writing one or more drafts. As anyone who's stared down a blank page knows, writing takes time, patience, and a lot of editing before you come around to exactly what you want to say.
Give yourself a few months to think about and write your essay. Read samples of personal essays to learn what admissions officers look for. Ask for feedback from trusted peers and teachers, and take the time to edit your essay into its best form. Your SAT or ACT, recommendation letters, and personal essay are three aspects of your application that require special planning.
You should also give yourself at least a month or two to fill out your application , request your transcript, and fulfill any other application requirements. Rolling admission typically lets you know about your application four to six weeks after you submit it.
This can add a level of confidence to the admissions process—and could be a help as you negotiate scholarships and financial aid later on.
Compared to early action or early decision, rolling admissions can be a great, non-binding option to hear back from colleges early. As you apply to multiple colleges, start with your applications for rolling admissions schools.
That way you can get a college decision from those choices as soon as possible. At some rolling admission schools, you can also get accepted for scholarships that you might not be eligible for once more students have applied. Rolling admission can work in your favor if you have good scores and apply early. However, make sure that you look at the specific policies for the schools you are interested in attending.
They might have separate, non-rolling dates for some scholarships. This can also be true for financial aid. If a specific college or program has a limited amount of aid to give, it will be awarded on a first come, first served basis until it is gone. Sometimes it takes until crunch time to make the best decisions! No more applying. If it was a safety school, this is also great.
You know you have somewhere to go in the Fall. Some schools however do pick a certain date to begin reading applications. While rolling admission has many positives, there are also some negatives:. Since there is no hard deadline to submit your applications except for the instances where there is a priority deadline for scholarship consideration , you might wait until the last second to apply.
There are only so many spots to fill at the university and, if you wait too long, those spots might not be available. A perfectly qualified applicant can still get denied because there are no more spots.
On a similar note, the lack of a hard deadline allows for more chances to procrastinate. The earlier you apply, the sooner you hear back from the school, and the higher the chance you have of being accepted.
If you do decide to apply to rolling admission schools, there are many amazing schools that use this application process.
Given the flexibility of the admissions process and the additional time you have to work on your application, rolling admission schools are a great way to maximize your acceptances and spread out your application workload.
Rolling admission schools include:. Applying as a rolling admission applicant, allows students to be flexible and not be strapped with hard deadlines. While there are many positives to applying through this application period, there are also many drawbacks. Students should consider their options and plan accordingly when tackling their college applications. Adding rolling admission schools to a college list gives students the opportunity to spread out their deadlines and feel less stressed during this already stressful time.
Our college admissions experts are here to guide you from where you are to where you should be. Through our comprehensive curriculum and individualized coaching, you are set for success as soon as you connect with us. All Rights Reserved. Phone-alt Envelope. Contact Us. January 11,
0コメント