Last Minute College Application Tips Before Clicking “Submit”

ou’re almost there! It’s been months (or even years) that you’ve been planning this moment. You are sooooo close to turning your applications over to the admissions committees. Congrats for getting this far!

But, before you click Submit, make sure to read these last minute tips. They could save you from some common errors that could potentially make or break your application.

I know this sounds like an obvious suggestion, but it’s super important. I can’t overemphasize how many students submit essays with simple errors that might have cost them admissions to their favorite universities.  So, here is how I suggest you do this exactly:

• Read it backwards. After you have read your essay a couple of times, it starts to get hard to find the spelling or grammar errors. Your eyes literally jump to the end of the sentence because they know what is coming next. A trick that my copywriter-friend taught me is to read the essay backwards. It helps your brain see the errors.

• Have a parent or friend read it also.  Ask someone who is a good writer to take a look at your essay. Sometimes it’s hard to ask for help, but it is fundamental to a good essay. When you get feedback from others on the content or the grammar, it always helps. Remember, even professional writers have people read over their work. It’s super important. 

• Don’t rely solely on spell check to correct your grammar or spelling. It’s a good start, but it often doesn’t catch homonyms or words with double meanings. Make sure to read it over multiple times so that you catch things like subject/verb agreement, verb tenses, apostrophes where needed, etc.   

Again, I’m sure you’re thinking this is an obvious suggestion, but I can’t tell you how often I have seen students write a beautiful essay that doesn’t answer the question or it doesn't address the prompt. 

Supplemental essays often ask you about your life, your preferences or what you will bring to the school community. You need to write a response that answers that prompt specifically. You also need to make sure that you have a creative response and not one they have seen a million times before. For example, the question “What brings you joy?” is hard to answer briefly. But if you say “I love to spend time with my family”, even if that is true, it is not a creative answer. You have to dig deep and find a more original way to answer that question.

If you have a “Why Our University” type of question, you must do your research before you answer. To say “I’ve always wanted to go to your university” is not specific enough. You need to discuss what makes their university unique, including specific professors, courses, degree programs, locations etc. 

If you’re tempted to copy/paste a supplemental essay from one university to the other, DON’T.  It’s too easy to make a mistake and refer to a different university by accident. You can use the same ideas and maybe even some similar phrases, but always rewrite it from scratch. That way you don’t mistakenly mention the wrong college and you make each essay unique. 

It’s so tempting to exaggerate (or lie) about what you have done in your life, but don’t do it. Trust me, it will come back to bite you later. Plus, you will feel terrible if you misrepresent yourself and are accepted to a university based on something false. Be proud of who you are and what you’ve done!

It’s always a good idea to make sure they have all the information they need. This way there are no misunderstandings.  Remind them about the due dates and thank them again for writing these letters.  

If you wait until the last day, you may have problems with the college websites being overloaded.  Technology always seems to cause problems during deadlines, so don’t risk it.  Additionally, when you are in a huge rush and throw together your application by a deadline, it always has tons of mistakes. 

Even though most applications are due the first week of January, I always suggest that students finish everything and click submit by Dec. 15th. That way you can relax over the holidays. It also gives you a little bit of extra time to correct any problems that arise in the process or to contact your counselors or teachers if need be.  If you wait until the last minute, everyone is gone on vacation!

Most of the suggestions here are easy to do and could make all the difference in your applications. Just remember to read everything over multiple times, get some help from a trusted family member or friend and take your time to complete a well crafted essay. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to click Submit!  And good luck!!