Staying Organized for College Applications Season
During my senior year of high school, I tried my chances at fifteen BS/MD programs, wrote over a hundred essays, and juggled over twenty total applications. I realize how daunting this sounds; worried about my workload, my friends and family constantly questioned my decision. Despite the hefty task list that preceded my college applications season, I clicked “submit” on the common application for the last time in November of my senior year, marking the relatively early and stress-free end of my college applications journey. The key? Organization.
Between early action, regular decision, rolling admissions, and special programs, college applications season can feel like a constant juggle of deadlines and requirements. However intimidating this jumble of dates may seem, prioritizing organization makes meeting deadlines not only manageable, but also significantly less stressful.
It’s important to note that organization looks different for everyone; some of my friends bought a planner specifically for college applications, while others plastered their walls with sticky notes. There is no magic bullet solution to staying organized, but finding the method that works best for you helps minimize the frustration that can accompany college applications. Here’s a few methods to try:
Compiling deadlines
Before you choose a method for organizing dates, you need dates to organize. Organization begins with research; once you know all of the application deadlines for the schools on your list, you can begin organizing. Separate schools by application cycle (rolling, early action, regular decision) to determine which deadlines to tackle first. Beginning with rolling admission and early action schools, assign personal deadlines to different components of your application. If you need to submit a writing supplement, assign a deadline well before the application is due and stick to it.
Physical calendars
For a lot of students, writing out deadlines makes them feel more tangible. Investing in a calendar or planner specifically for college applications can be incredibly helpful for visualizing dates. Begin by adding hard due dates for applications and fill in the softer deadlines you created for parts of the application. This helps you to visualize your workload and identify the tasks you need to work on each week to ensure you can meet your deadlines.
Feel free to get creative with how you use a physical calendar. Instead of buying a conventional calendar, I created my own using Google Slides. I created one slide for each school on my list, with a checklist of requirements and corresponding personal deadlines. Covering an entire wall in my basement with printed slides, I created a space where I could visualize my progress with college applications. Each weekend, I scanned the wall for upcoming deadlines and assigned myself tasks for the week. Checking off items on the list not only helped me to keep track of my progress, but also felt so rewarding.
Online calendars and organization tools
Because of its accessibility and simple interface, Google Calendar is an immensely helpful organizational tool. Now in college, I use it daily to keep track of my deadlines and block out time to make sure I’m progressing towards them. Stay organized during college applications season by adding major deadlines to your Google Calendar and blocking out time each week to complete parts of your application. Be sure to make use of the reminder feature, which will send notifications to your phone prior to deadlines and work time.
Several of my friends also use Notion, a digital planner, to stay on track with deadlines. With creative design elements, Notion provides a personalized, yet functional space to organize your work. In Notion, you can create deadline pages with checklists and weekly task lists to track your progress.
For my weekly task lists, however, I like to see consistent reminders of what I have to accomplish each week. On my computer, I use Apple’s Sticky Notes function to write out major deadlines, weekly tasks, and daily tasks. Sticky Notes sit on your homescreen, so I’m reminded of the items left on my to-do lists every time I open my computer.
Final Thoughts
Whether you use a physical or digital method for organization, there are always new tricks to try to improve your organization methods. Though important in our day-to-day lives, organization becomes especially important while applying to college. I hope you found something new or interesting to implement in your organization routine. Happy applying!
[by: Preeta Kamat]
