Organize Your College Applications!

With all of the online programs and handy dandy college planning manuals, you would think that someone would have found a good way to organize all of the college applications that seniors need to manage each year. But, nooooo! When there is more than one place to keep all of your records, you’re bound to lose things and not have what you need when you need them most!

So here’s how I organize my students’ applications. I create a manila file folder for each college. Yup, back to basics. Bonus: manila folders are super cheap!  On the cover, I staple an information sheet that includes the contact info, deadlines, requirements, essays, letters of recommendation, and portfolio or audition info. That way, I can see at a glance what’s been done and what’s missing.  Then, inside the folder, I keep copies of everything. That’s right. I keep all of their drafts for their essays, cover letters for recommendations, and pertinent information about the college. 

When the students get emails or letters from the college, I also place them in the folder so we have EVERYTHING in one place.  That’s the key… everything is there so we can make decisions based on all of the facts.  Students get lost when they have some info buried in their emails, on their computers, in a drawer in their desk at home, and somewhere in their brains.

Simplify the process by streamlining it back to a good manila file. An organized system makes the college application process less stressful. And all seniors could use a little less stress.