At this point, you may have submitted an Early application or two. If so – congratulations! But now that the Early deadlines have passed, it’s time to turn your attention to Regular Decision. We know many questions come up around this time, so here is some advice on the most common things we’re asked about this time of year.
1) I’ve already applied to my top choice school – now what? You’ve submitted your top choice application and can breathe a small sigh of relief. You’ve worked hard on your application, but you can’t make any assumptions. Don’t wait until December 15 to begin applying to other schools. Hopefully, you’ll be admitted, and won’t need to submit any other applications. But if in mid-December your Early Decision or Early Action school sends a deny or defer decision, you don’t want to be scrambling for the next two weeks to throw together all your Regular Decision applications. It might be hard to focus on schools other than your top choice right now, but in order for you to be in the strongest position later in the year, you want to at least pursue other options.
2) The colleges I’m applying to say they’re missing application materials. Will my application be reviewed? If schools contact you about missing application materials, remain calm. Check to see what they’re missing. If it’s something you were supposed to submit personally, like your test scores, Common Application, or Supplement, double check that you submitted it. If you submitted the materials in the last week, the admissions office is probably still processing them. Wait a few days before checking again. If it is well after you submitted the materials, you can call the admissions office to confirm receipt. If they still don’t have it, ask how they would like you to resubmit. The guidelines for school documents are similar. If you know they were submitted recently, give it a few days, as the documents are probably still being processed. If they were submitted a while ago, pick up the phone and ask the admissions office to confirm receipt. If any school forms need to be re-sent, you can ask your college counselor or teachers (nicely!) if they could resubmit their materials because the college didn’t seem to get them.
3) Can I take the SAT or ACT again? What about SAT Subject Tests? Hopefully, you’re done with your testing. However, if you still want to take the SAT or ACT again, or SAT Subject Tests, there’s still time, at least for Regular Decision. If you want or need to take any more tests for Regular Decision, call the schools you’re applying to and ask if they will accept scores from the test dates you’re planning on.
4) I made a mistake on my application! What should I do? If you made a mistake on your application, don’t fret. How big is the mistake? Did you forget to list a club you were involved in for a month at the beginning of freshman year? If it’s a minor omission like that, you don’t need to worry about it. If it’s something you’re really worried about, you can always send your admissions counselor a quick e-mail that includes an explanation or correction of the error, and an apology for the mistake. If you have an update to your application since submitting it, it’s the same basic approach – just write to your admissions counselor, provide the updated information, and request that it be added to your file.
As you wait for decisions on your Early applications, be sure to check that they are complete, and promptly follow-up on missing materials. The key is to remain focused on upcoming deadlines while keeping an eye on your submitted applications at the same time.
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