When to Start College Applications

When should students start the college application process? While I write posts every week about various aspects of the college application process, this is one that I have shied away from. The reason I have been hesitant to write about it is because I don’t want it to sound like I am trying to drum up business. That is absolutely not what this post is about.

Personally, I think gradually starting the process after winter break of junior year is a great time! Lots of work can be done over the summer, and all that will remain is writing supplemental essays when they are released on August 1. Over the past few weeks, I have been receiving a multitude of calls from parents in a panic.

The college application process is certainly much different from when we all did it about 30 years ago. If your teen starts at the end of junior year and maximizes the summer, there will not be any panicking in the beginning of senior year when they are trying to do well in rigorous classes, possibly taking the SAT/ACT for a final time (if they live in Florida), and enjoying the social parts of being a senior.

(The reason I’m including this picture with the post is because one of the people who recently called me told me she took this picture last year at a football game and held onto it until she needed it. She is realizing that she wished she called when she took the picture last year.) The moral of the story is that you should not wait until the beginning of senior year to start college applications.