One simple thing to help through application season

Last week I spent some time with incoming Seniors on their college applications. A short workshop for students to make some big strides. As we worked through the UC Application and Common Application, started on our essays and organized all of the additional odds and ends, one thing stood out the most to me. One small thing I feel each student has the ability to do that will help immensely throughout their senior year: organization.

What do you do when you’re applying to 8 schools on three different websites and each of the 8 schools require a few different things? Organize. What do you do when you have essays and then supplemental essays within the applications? Organize. What do you do when you’re applying early on a few colleges and regular on the others? Organize.

It seems so simple, but applying really should be just that…simple. Organization is as small as creating an excel spreadsheet and categorizing deadlines. It can be having a piece of paper with all of your usernames and passwords to each website from application sites to financial aid sites so you don’t feel flustered when you can’t remember your password. It can be putting deadlines in a notes section in your iPhone. It can be writing down your go to resources for when things seem a little crazy.

I believe in breaking the application process up into smaller more maneagable pieces. Organization can help do that. By clearly allowing you to see what needs to get done now. To prioritize and then take on the next hurdle.

The application process may make for a crazier senior year, but when you take a step back, organize and remember the people around you who can support and help you so it’s not so scary.