Here’s our 10-step game plan for high school seniors who feel behind

Step 1: Find out Your School’s Process. Schedule a time to meet with your school counselor. If you don’t know your counselor, now’s the time to introduce yourself! This person will be critical to your life over the next few months as they are responsible for submitting school materials on your behalf. Find out your school’s process for requesting teacher and counselor recommendations and transcripts to be sent to the colleges you’re applying to. 

Step 2: Ask for Two Teacher Recommendations. If you haven’t already, determine who you will ask to write your recommendation letters and ask them ASAP. Expect them to take 3-4 weeks to write the letters. Most students need two teacher recs, ideally from junior year. If possible, one from math or science and one from history or English is preferable. 

FOR UT Austin: You can only submit two letters of rec, and they should provide additional evidence for your first choice major. A few examples might be: an internship supervisor; a teacher from a related subject; a summer program teacher/professor; a teacher, professor, or any other person that supervised student research; or a supervisor from your job. Please note: most other colleges prefer teacher recs.

Step 3: Create your College Resume. If you haven’t created a college resume yet, do that now. Parents can help here since they often remember accomplishments you may have forgotten about! You may need your resume to give to teachers you ask for recommendations to help them know you better.

FOR UT Austin: Make sure your resume highlights activities and accomplishments related to the major you will choose on your application. And remember that UT prefers an expanded resume, so don’t be afraid to go into detail about each activity!

Step 4: Finalize your college list. Then, note the deadlines and essay requirements for each college. Make a list of the supplemental essays you will need to write and see where there is topic overlap. This can help you develop an efficient essay game plan to reduce the amount of writing you’ll need to do! For example, if you’re applying to UT Austin, which requires a leadership essay, you can often tweak that essay for a school that asks you to write about an activity. Write your essays in order of the early action deadlines for each college. 

Step 5: Write your Personal Statement. If you haven’t written your personal statement, it’s time to get that done! Need inspiration? Check out our post on brainstorming essays that unlock your authenticity. For some great examples of effective college essays, read these essays that worked. 

Step 6: Demonstrate Interest to the Colleges on Your List. Research online or visit campuses if possible. Now that students are back on campus, it’s a great time to get a complete picture of what being a student at a specific school would be like. College representatives may visit your school during the next couple of months. Take advantage of these visits to learn more about schools you’re interested in! Check out our Guide to Demonstrated Interest for more information.

Step 7: Fill out your Common Application. For expert guidance and answers to questions that may arise as you fill it out, consult the AXS Companion. It’s a great online resource with explanatory videos, helpful tips, a glossary of application terms, and links to resources mentioned in the videos.

Step 8: Send Your Test Scores to the Appropriate Schools (if applicable). Determine if and where you will be submitting standardized test scores by comparing your scores to the middle 50% of scores for that school’s admitted students. If your scores are within that middle 50% range, send them. If you’re unsure about a specific college, it’s always best to ask your school counselor before sending your scores.

Step 9: Proofread all Materials Before Sending. Have a parent or trusted adult proofread your application, resume, and essays before submitting your applications.

Step 10: Submit your applications! Check your email often for any next steps required from each college.

While this may seem like many steps, you can easily complete them by dedicating a few hours every week. When you’re enjoying your Thanksgiving break instead of stressing out about college applications, you will thank your September self for dedicating the time to complete these things!