Thanksgiving break is over, Early Decision 1 and 2 are behind us, and the University of California has closed its doors. If you’re still in the thick of applications, you need to focus. The best tip to complete college applications on time is simply to do them—there is no other way. But you knew that already. So I’m going to break down a variety of tips, both practical and motivational, that will make that impossible task feel doable and get you on (or back on) the road to submission. Set your own deadlines—as far ahead of December 31 as you reasonably can—and start here:
- Put application work in your planner and on your calendar. The number one thing that needs to happen for you is what your teachers would call “time on task.” If you’re like many perfectionist teens I know, you’ve been putting off applications until you had Enough Time. Like, a chunk of hours at a time, preferably a weekend with no other plans. Turned out … there weren’t any, were there? What you need is actually any time at all. Start with sitting down and writing for 15 or 20 minutes every day. Put it in your planner with an empty checkbox next to it. Put it in your calendar with a notification on your phone so you don’t forget. Show up.
- Expect less. I keep saying this, but I know you don’t believe me. If you expect perfection the first time you write, you’re going to keep putting off starting because each time you sit down, you know you’re not about to write something perfect. Better to wait until another time, you think, when it WILL be perfect. Um, right. Not going to happen. Expect it to be bad. Then whatever you get, you can work with.
- Comb through what you already have. At this point in the season, no matter how many apps you still have to go, you might have some material finished. Always look at what you’ve already written against every new prompt you meet. If something can be repurposed, do that! Sometimes pieces can be used exactly as written because the prompt is so similar. Sometimes they need only the tiniest tweaks to make the essay sound like it was written for the new prompt. And sometimes you can take a few paragraphs from a finished piece and at least get yourself halfway to a new topic. This is not only a smart use of your time and mental energy, it’s a smart use of your ‘application capital.’ If there’s something cool enough to bear mentioning in one application, shouldn’t it be on as many applications as will take it?
- Don’t leave the application until last. This should be the easiest part—if you haven’t completed your Common or Coalition App apart from your essay, knock that out right now! Parts will be tedious but simple, and parts might need help from your parents or other references. Figure out what you still need to know, do and find out, and get that thing done!
- List your tasks, then match your task to your energy. From filling in your name and address on the Common App to brainstorming new essay material to tweaking an old essay to giving a piece a final polish—every task you do is going to require a different kind and level of energy. If you have time but no energy, what can you still accomplish? If you have a jolt of creative energy but almost no time, what can you still accomplish? Match the task to your energy level and available time and get more done during those slivers of time or low-energy periods that would normally be lost.
- Map your heart. If you’re feeling stuck on how to present a balanced picture of yourself or answer one of those just one more thing supplements, try this activity from Awakening the Heart by Georgia Heard. Draw a picture of your heart, and write or sketch all of the things that belong inside, from your dog to your summer camp to your favorite band. How many ways have you been able to incorporate into your application all of the things that make you YOU? For most applications, your essay is the most you can do. But some schools have tons of supplements, or just one maddening one that says, “After all of the extracurricular activities and accomplishments you’ve already told us about … what’s something else unique, colorful, interesting or fun about you?” I understand why schools ask it, though I honestly think it’s a completely unfair question. (You think that there’s something super-cool about me that I have saved for JUST YOUR APPLICATION, the only one that asks for it?) The heart map might also help with short-answer supplements like a favorite quote or holiday tradition. All of those pieces are really looking to see you as a person, so give your heart an inspection and let readers see a corner.
- Bribe yourself. Habit people like to call this “habit pairing.” More honest people call it “bribing yourself.” Whatever. It’s peppermint mocha season, and if that helps you get more done, go buy one and write your essays while you drink it. This will work better if it’s a treat you don’t usually or often allow yourself, though you’ll have to be cautious what you offer yourself as a reward (do you have time to offer yourself Netflix if you write for an hour, or not?).
- Punish yourself. OK, not really. But different people have different motivation needs—some need carrots, and some need sticks. If you’re not good at holding yourself accountable, there are many fun (and not-so-fun) ways to accomplish it. If your parents aren’t clear when all of your deadlines are, make sure they know and all deadlines are on public calendars. No one likes nagging, but your parents are your first line of defense against failure. Let them be there for you. Admit to your favorite teacher or coach—someone you don’t want to let down—that you haven’t applied yet. Force yourself to tell them every week whether or not you’ve done it yet. If your friends are still applying, race to see who will be first, next and last to finish. Create some embarrassing or unpleasant consequence for the last to submit unless all of you finish before a set deadline (ahead of the real one). If the distant possibility of not having your applications done on time doesn’t feel quite real, bring the pain closer by giving your parents a chunk of your savings and tell them unless you finish by your deadline, the money is theirs. Or pay them a certain amount of money every day you don’t finish! If you don’t have a paycheck of your own, start owing your parents work time around the house for every day or week you go without submitting (to be ‘paid’ after the application deadline, of course!).
- Visualize success. Think about how good it’s going to feel when it’s finished, and carry that positive feeling into the start of every work session. Look forward to the feeling of control you will have when your applications are submitted, ahead of the deadline, and you have done your best work. Think about the upcoming holidays, and how festive and enjoyable it will be to start winter break by sleeping in, instead of getting up to work on your applications. Think about enjoying new presents instead of setting them aside until your applications are finished. Think about spending New Years Eve with friends … instead of the Common App.
- Visualize failure. Again, different people need different motivation. Imagine—vividly—what it would feel like to be racing to finish an essay on December 31, knowing it was never going to be your best work and that you had materially damaged your possibility of getting into a school you really wanted to get into. Now try to watch YouTube with that hanging over your head.
I know you want to succeed, and if you’ve come this far, you can’t give up on yourself now. These ten tips to finish your college applications on time are going to get you there.
If you’re still struggling, either to start or to finish, it might be time for a 15-minute consultation to see how I can help.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
