It’s not too late to start the college application process!

Yes, a lot of students at Nipmuc decide to apply early to schools that have early action, early decision, and rolling admissions options.  But, all of those schools also have regular decision deadlines that don’t happen until January or February and even into March, April, and May.  For many students, applying later in the year is beneficial for a number of reasons:

• Grades: Students who wait until regular decision deadlines to apply get to show colleges more grades.  Maybe you aren’t so proud of the grades that show up on your transcript from junior year.  If you wait until later in senior to apply, you have more time to improve your grades and show that you are a capable and responsible student.

• Time: Students who wait until regular decision deadlines have more time during their senior year to prepare their applications and research schools.  If you didn’t start working on essays over the summer or you didn’t talk to teachers about recommendation letters at the end of junior year, you can do it now.  Take the time to perfect your application and have different people read over what you are submitting to colleges.  Also, the fall is a great time to visit schools while they are in session.

• SAT/ACT: Students who wait until regular decision deadlines to apply can take the SAT or ACT again.  If you don’t have deadlines until February, you can take the tests as late as December or even January (depending on deadlines) of your senior year.  

So, it’s November (or maybe you’re reading this in December or January) and you’re wondering how to get started.  Here is what to do:

1. Talk to your counselor!  Let her know that you would like to apply to college and see what input she might have about where you should apply.  Make sure that you have filled out your survey on Naviance and that your counselor has your pink parent brag sheet.  She will need these to write you letter of recommendation.  Your counselor can also help you come up with a plan to organize your preparation.

2. Ask teachers for letters of recommendation.  You will probably need at least one teacher letter for your applications and your teachers will need time to prepare.  Even if you don’t know exactly where you want to apply, talk to some teachers about writing letters.  Once you have one or two who agree, invite them officially through Naviance.

3. Research and visit schools.  You can start your research in Naviance by completing the SuperMatch college search.  This tool will generate a list of potential schools based on a number of criteria set by you.  Take some time to look at the schools’ majors and find out what it’s like to be a student there by scheduling some tours.  Your counselor can also help you narrow down your list.

4. Figure out application requirements.  Once you know what schools you’d like to apply to, the first thing you should do is check the deadlines.  Also, find out if they accept the Common App or if you need to do an individual application.  See how many teacher letters the schools require and make sure you have enough.  Most of this information can be found on Naviance.

5. Get your essay started.  This is important to do at least a month before the school’s deadline so that you can have teachers, family, friends, your counselor, and others who know you well read it and give you feedback.  Be sure that you are answering one of the Common App prompts or the prompts from individual schools’ applications.

6. Set up a Common App account or application accounts for schools that do not accept the Common App.  Look through the application to find out what information you will need to enter.  You’ll probably need some input from your parents and your counselor.

7. Pay attention to deadlines and submit your applications on time!

There is a lot to do to apply for college, but there is still time to do it!  There are many two and four-year schools that have deadlines later in the winter and into the spring.  It’s best to get started before the holiday vacation in December so that you have enough time to prepare.  However, if worse comes to worse, you can always apply later in the summer or next fall for Spring 2016 admission.  If you want to go to college, it’s really never too late!