Over one million high school seniors applied to 841 participating Common Application colleges during the 2023-2024 school year, with distinct applicant numbers increasing each year according to Forbes. However, without the proper planning knowledge, applying to these institutions can prove both stressful and overwhelming.
“I started the application process when the Common Application first opened in August,” senior Grace Melendez said. “Making sure you have enough time to finish everything is vital.”
Depending on the college or university, students may send in their application at different times and under different requirements, including early action, early decision and regular decision. While the most common deadlines for early action and early decision include Oct. 15, Nov. 1 and Nov. 15, 2024, the regular decision deadline usually falls on Jan. 1 or Jan. 15 for most institutions. While both regular decision and early action remain non-binding, early decision represents a binding commitment, meaning that the student must attend if accepted (with a few exceptions).
“Students should finalize their application well in advance of the submission deadline. For early applications, [finalize] ideally by mid-October, and for regular admissions, by early January,” counselor Danetia Wilkins said. “Time management allows each applicant time to avoid rushing and providing a quality submission.”
While many aspects of a student’s application constitute a culmination of many years of hard work, some equally important requirements, such as essays, personal statements and teacher recommendations, get finalized just weeks or days before application submissions in many cases.
Students should begin writing their Common Application essay by the end of August, finalizing it by the end of September at the latest, according to Shemmassian Academic Consulting. Even though students should ask their teachers for recommendations no later than October of their senior year, it is suggested that students would be better prepared when asking in March, April or May of their junior year, according to PrepScholar.
“I’ve already submitted an application,” Melendez said. “My essay is finalized, and I asked my teachers for letters of recommendation.”
Although the Common Application has made the college application process more uniform and gives applicants the ability to apply to a greater number of colleges, some institutions have their own, distinct requirements. Such requirements include supplemental essays and financial background information.
“I handle supplemental essays by using checklists and spreadsheets to ensure I am organized,” senior Katie Wilkinson said. “I began my essays in the summer so I could spread out completing them instead of doing everything at once.”
