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You’ve finally finished all of your college applications. Months of writing, rewriting, editing, and even more rewriting later, you’re finally free from all this stress. Congratulations! So what should you do (and not do) between now and mid-March, when all the decisions come out?
Let’s start with what you should NOT do:
2 Things You Should NOT Do After Submitting Your Apps
1. Don’t stress about every detail on the applications you submitted.
After you submit your applications, you should not stalk every college website and stress around for 3 months, lingering on every little detail you should’ve/could’ve/would’ve changed in your applications. The applications are in, and there’s nothing you can change at this point. Be proud of what you submitted and don’t beat yourself up on everything.
2. Don’t slack off TOO much.
Don’t be that one student who goes from having all A’s to having all F’s in the span of a few weeks. Just because colleges won’t see your second semester grades before making their decision, that doesn’t mean you can just let everything loose and slack off completely. Some colleges check your transcript after graduation, and if your grades fall too much, you might jeopardize your college admission.
Also, doing well during the period after you submit your application will also help you tremendously if you are placed on the waitlist. More on this later!
5 Things You Should Do After Submitting Your Apps
Now, here are 5 things you should do:
1. Be on the lookout for potential scholarships available.
Higher education is expensive, especially if you’re going to be an international student. There are usually limits on working part-time jobs for international students too, so scholarships are a good way to ease some of the heavy tuition burden. Try to apply to as many scholarships as possible – and not just the big ones. A few $500 scholarships here and there will turn out to be extremely helpful when it comes to buying textbooks and rent!
2. Check your email and phone calls regularly.
It’s always a good idea to check your email once a day even without college applications. During this time, colleges may email you if you’re missing certain documents or information, so make sure to catch those emails. In addition, some colleges will instead give you a call or a text if they want to ask you anything, especially in slightly more urgent situations. You don’t want to be rejected from a school because you didn’t forget to fill out a random document on your application, do you?
3. Use this time to relax a little
You’ve been working hard for the past 3.5 years, so give yourself a break every once in a while! If you’re feeling super tired on a Thursday morning, take a half-day or full-day off from class. Just one day away from the constant homework and knowledge can do wonders for your brain. Plus, senioritis is inevitable, so just let it happen in small, controlled amounts.
4. Continue with your projects and activities, and maintain a certain standards in your grades
We hope that you are doing all the extracurriculars because you enjoy them, and not because you need to put them on the college application. If the extracurriculars mean something to you, or if you genuinely enjoy these activities, then you obviously should continue to do them anyway.
Even though almost all colleges won’t be asking for updates from you anymore after you submitted all your applications, the extracurricular activities you do and the grades you get after you submitted your application will be extremely important in one scenario: if you are being placed on the school’s waitlist. Being on the waitlist means that you are not too far from the cutoff line. If you can give the school an update on all the things you have done since college application, you will get an edge over other waitlisted students who immediately slack off after the application, and you will have a higher chance of being admitted.
5. Spend time with friends and family
You’ll be studying in a foreign country or another state far away from your home in just a few months, so take this time you have to really appreciate everyone around you that you’ve known for the past few years. You’ll miss them more than you think when you actually leave!
