Top 5 College Application Hacks You Wish You Knew Sooner

Let’s face it, applying for college can be stressful. Financial aid, admissions essays, recommendation letters, test scores… there are often so many moving parts that it can be easy to become overwhelmed with the process. This pressure can be even worse when you are applying to multiple universities, or are entering a graduate program. I myself remember the whirlwind of activity that I went through when applying to multiple graduate schools simultaneously. Today, I want to walk through five different college application hacks that I wish I knew when I was applying to university. These will save you time, energy, and will improve your odds of getting accepted into your dream school.

Reuse a master activities description document to copy/paste into any portal.

One thing about university applications is that almost all of them are different in some way. Some universities use Common App, UC App, Coalition, or any number of other college application platforms, while the majority of others have their own proprietary systems. One application hack that is going to really help you navigate all these similar, but different systems is to create a master document that you can reference for all of your different applications. In this document, you can include things like extracurricular involvements, volunteer work, leadership roles, academic achievements, and any other activities you anticipate highlighting in more than one application. For each activity, consider including information like your specific role, dates of involvement, detailed description of your responsibilities and achievements, the skills you developed, and the long term impact it has had on you.

Give teachers a brag sheet to save their time on your letters of recommendation.

Asking former teachers or professors for a letter of recommendation can be difficult. But what students often don’t realize is that it can be just as difficult for the teacher or professor to write the recommendation itself. Teachers have hundreds of students each year, and while they may have had a substantial impact on your life, it is not always likely that they remember all or enough of your specific achievements or contributions to be able to give you that stellar recommendation that you’re hoping for.

What I’m getting at is that letters of recommendation are so much more powerful when the teacher has talking points, and you can be the one to provide them. This is known as a “brag sheet,” which is a document containing your resume, goals, and key accomplishments (don’t make it too lengthy!). Equipping your mentors, professors, or teachers with this information will help streamline the process of getting those recommendations in, and will also help to get them talking about the key achievements that you wanted to highlight in the first place.

Schedule application submission 48 hours before the deadline.

The last thing you want during this already stressful period is to miss an application deadline. Universities can be extremely strict about these cutoffs, and if you miss this deadline, you could be waiting upwards of a year before the next application season. For that reason, it is extremely important that you target submitting your application no later than 48 hours before the cutoff. This doesn’t have to be any more complicated than setting a simple reminder on your calendar or on your phone for two days prior. What this will do is ensure that you don’t miss your opportunity to apply to your chosen university due to any last-minute systems’ issues, and it can even give you the opportunity to reread your application one final time before submitting it, in case you want to make any tweaks.

Follow university social channels for last-minute announcements.

Almost all universities maintain a very heavy presence on social media these days, and this can be a crucial source of information during the buzz of application season. It is not uncommon for universities to post about deadlines (don’t forget to set your reminders!), make exclusive scholarship announcements, or post about optional interview windows. Following your favorite universities on social media is without question an under-utilized source of information that can give you a real edge over others.

Stay organized!

By far the most important piece of advice that I’ll give you today is to stay organized throughout the application process. You will have so many documents floating around–all of which will be slightly different versions of the same thing, often with just the university name swapped out–that it can be extremely easy to get files mixed up. Start different folders on your computer for your different applications and be super diligent about organizing your application materials where they need to go. Start a spreadsheet on Google Sheets or a Notion board to help yourself track deadlines, essay requirements, and document requirements for each university. I realize that “stay organized” is simple advice, but it might just save you from missing the opportunity of a lifetime as it pertains to enrollment at your dream college.

There you have it: five college admission hacks that I wish I myself had been told when I was applying for college. Create your master activities document to serve as a central repository for all of the information you’ll find yourself entering over and over, create a brag sheet for the mentors or teachers you’re going to be turning to for letters of recommendation, plan on submitting your application at least two days before the deadline, follow your target universities on social media, and last but not least, stay organized throughout the process. Follow these simple tips, and you’ll vastly improve your odds of getting that acceptance letter you’ve always wanted. Good luck with the application!