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Early College Planning: How Soon Can I Start Preparing My Application?

Completing your college application will be the most important assignment of your high school career! Like any important assignment, it is ideal for you start your work well in advance. Early college planning can help you get your application process off on the right foot.

The college application can be so overwhelming because there are so many pieces to juggle. Having a strong GPA and solid standardized test scores is just the beginning. But early college planning can make the whole process feel less daunting! Use the tips below to start assembling your best college application well before the summer of your junior year:

School Research

There are over 400 colleges and universities in the United States! When you start your college search, you’ll have to jump in the world of college/university lingo to figure out which school atmosphere will allow you to thrive.

Do some early college planning to learn about as many colleges and universities as possible. Figure out the difference between a liberal arts college and a research university. Decide whether you like small or large classes sizes. Are there specific programs that excite you? Learning about colleges in your freshman, sophomore, and junior years will allow you to understand what makes each school unique and will help you narrow down your school list by your senior year.

Practice Makes Perfect

For early college planning, go ahead and make your application accounts! Fill out the different sections of both the Coalition Application and Common App. I encourage students to complete the information and activities sections as you participate in extracurriculars throughout high school. Use the Coalition Application Locker to upload certificates, awards, and artwork that can be the beginning of your portfolio. This is a great place to store your accomplishments and efforts as you go along so that you don’t forget any of them!

You will be able to edit later - both applications now allow accounts to roll over from year to year for any students that want to get a head start. Creating these accounts will give you insight into how your application is viewed by admissions offices.

Filling out these pages in advance can also help you visualize where the gaps are on your current profile. If you’re starting early enough, you still have time to start new activities and craft compelling application. Don’t leave this until senior fall and panic at the sight of empty slots on your Common App!

Prime Your Recommenders

Are you speaking up in class? Have you demonstrated intellectual curiosity? If your teachers had to write you a letter of recommendation today, would it reflect your true potential to a college admissions office? If not, start demonstrating the behaviors that show you’ll be a great addition to a collegiate intellectual community.

During your early college planning, it’s important to get to know your teachers and to let them know you. If your teacher runs an afterschool club that interests you, join! If they offer extra help sessions, attend! Take the time to build relationships with your teachers and it will pay off with a glowing recommendation letter.

Start Writing

I encourage students to apply to approximately 10 schools. This means that in some cases, students are responsible for as few as 2 essays or as many as 30 essays, since many schools require several supplemental essays. The writing that you’ll do for your college applications is unlike any of the writing you’ve done in school because you have to write about yourself. This is quite different than a research paper or a 5-paragraph essay!

If you want to get a head start on your college applications, take a peek at the questions that are asked for the personal statement and supplemental essays. You can find all of this on the Common App and Coalition websites. This will help you understand what’s ahead and plan accordingly! For practice with personal writing, take time to ask yourself these 36 questions. Reflecting and critically thinking about what you care about can help generate sincere topics.

If you’re asking the question about early college planning, then it is probably not too early to start! You can be super prepared for your college applications if you think of it as an ongoing process. Pace yourself for the marathon instead of trying to sprint at the end. What have you already done? What will you do next? Look at the online applications and think like an admissions officer. Imagine what would be the next impressive step to take. And then take it!

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