“The Deadline Has Passed…Now What?”

Christmas has just come and gone and you’ve just submitted the bulk of your applications. Time to sit back and wait for the decisions…feels odd, doesn’t it?

Of course it feels odd! There are still things you need to do right now. There are schools that accept applications by Jan 15 or on a rolling basis, which basically means these schools review and decide on applications as they are received until there are no openings left in the entering class. If you have

this kind of school on your list, make sure you submit your application now. No point in delaying the process when you don’t have much homework to do or many tests to study for.

Scholarships and financial aid are typically something many students look for, so know the deadlines for these applications. For international students (i.e. non-US citizens or permanent residents), these applications will be different for each college you apply to. US citizens in need of aid typically have to fill out the FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Deadlines are typically February 1st – check with each school to be sure.

If the questions about your income and your parents’ income and assets seem annoying to you, think again. Presuming you qualify for at least some financial aid, think about completing the application as a paid job. If you get $2000 in grant money by completing the application, and if it takes you and your parents four hours to complete it (it probably won’t even take that long), it’s the same as having a job that pays you $500 an hour. If you worked 40-hour workweeks that paid you that same rate, you’d earn $1,000,000 a year.

So quit your whining. Complete the application.

Don’t forget to send your transcript to all of the colleges to which you’ve submitted an application. Also don’t forget to send updated transcripts to your scholarships.

To Do:

  • Finish any outstanding apps with January deadlines.
  • Complete financial aid applications.
  • Make last effort to find and apply for appropriate scholarships.
  • Make sure all your recommendations have been sent.
  • Send updated transcripts with your grades from Sept-Dec to colleges.
  • Determine if you need