College Admissions can get a little overwhelming for students with the amount of work that goes into it and the deadlines to keep track of. Once you are through with the university research, it’s time to buckle down and begin those applications. Where do I start? Should I begin requesting recommendations from my teachers? How many essays do I need to write? The checklists that each school provides for their applications can seem like a lot at first. However, getting organized is one way to calm your nerves and make significant progress.
One of the best ways to track your progress is to enter everything into a spreadsheet. You can use an application of your choice – Excel, Google Sheets, etc.- to help track your colleges, their application requirements, and how far along you are completing these requirements.
Your spreadsheet headers should include key information about each college and its requirements. You can start by creating a column for the list of universities, their deadlines (Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, or Rolling Admissions), location, tuition fee, university rankings, etc.
Further, you can go into creating columns that represent each of the college’s components, such as recommendation letter requirements, application supplement, essays, test scores submissions, interviews, application fees, and financial aid. Finally, you can also have a column titled “Application Submitted” that you can check off when your application has been submitted.
For each country or university-specific document, go into the details of the requirement. For example – There are multiple details within specific components you can go into, like -
Letters of Recommendation
Is the LOR required?
If yes, how many LORs are required?
Whom do you need to approach for this LOR? (Teacher, Counselor, or External)
Which teachers are you planning to ask for recommendations?
Interviews
Do you have an interview?
Will this interview be conducted by an alum, student, or admissions officer?
Has your interview been scheduled?
What date is your interview?
Have you sent a thank you note to your interviewer after the interview?
Test Scores
Do you need to submit test scores?
What score does your college require?
Do you want to send AP scores
How you submitted the scores?
Supplemental Essays
Does the college require a supplemental essay?
How many supplemental essays are required?
How many drafts have you created for the essay
Is the essay proofread?
Is the essay ready for submission?
Have you submitted the essay?
Financial Aid
Does the university provide financial aid?
Have you applied for financial aid?
Is there a specific application that you must submit?
Have you submitted the forms and documents required?
This could be a good way for you to stay on top of your game when it comes to your college applications. If you keep track of everything and highlight them in different colors, you can take note of every element of your application.
Not only your college applications but maintaining an excel about your profile could also help you keep a check on the details of each activity you’re pursuing. When filling out the Common App activity list, we often forget the minute details about each activity and its timelines.
To track your activities, you can maintain a separate excel that allows you to log in details like the activity name, position you held, the organization’s name, the date, location, duration, and results of the entire activity or competition.
This would allow you to keep in mind the details of the activities you have pursued. So, you won’t have to brainstorm about them when you start to fill out your Common App activity list.
This is what the Director of International Admission and Global Initiatives of Tulane University has to say about tracking your progress:
“My best recommendation is to embrace Microsoft Excel as a tool to keep you organized in the admission process. There are so many facts, data points, deadlines, and requirements to keep in mind, and they differ for each school. Keeping an ongoing Excel document to remind you of these things is key to forming your college list and staying organized. Whenever you find out something new, meet someone from the university, or learn about a requirement, add it to your Excel to revert back to later in the year.”
Paul Burgess,
Director of International Admission and Global Initiatives, Tulane University
If you’re looking to apply to international universities or exploring overseas higher education options, The Headmaster Consulting can help you narrow your selection while also giving you an overview of what life at university would be like. We help you decipher what the universities seek from their candidates through our Dean’s Desk. If you’re unsure about your applications, get in touch with one of our consultants to help you build an extraordinary application and profile.
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