4 Things You Need to Remember after Applying Early Decision

Pat yourself on the back. You are almost through college application season. We are ALMOST there. Just a bit more to go.

After applying for Early Decision, you’re going to wish you could skip to the part when you get your admissions letter. But, now more than ever, it’s important to stay focused and prepare your backups by applying to a few more schools. Here are four things you need to remember to do after you submit your early decision application.

Thank You Letters 

If you’ve worked with one or two admissions officers throughout your application process, draft a thank you note to each of them. This isn’t an opportunity to win the admissions officers over (admissions offers can see that motivation from a mile away). But, sending a thank you note does leave a positive impression. Just make sure you personalize each of your messages.  

Along with specific admissions officers who worked with you, think about the other individuals at the college that you came into contact with. Did you speak with a professor at the Open House lunch? Did you connect with a student ambassador who’s studying the same major you’re pursuing? Thank you notes are a great way to keep connected and build new relationships. That’s why you always want to make sure you get the contact information of the people you meet. 

See additional tips for reaching out to admissions officers. 

Test Scores

One step that’s easy to forget is submitting your official test scores. Get ahead of the process by sending your test scores before admissions reaches out for them. The College Board and ACT website list the steps to sending your scores. 

Financial Aid

Deadlines for submission vary based on state and college, so take a look at the FAFSA website and each college’s financial aid website for the deadlines. No matter the deadline, it’s important to submit your financial aid application sooner rather than later so you don’t miss your opportunity for extra support.  

Along with filling out the FAFSA, start searching for scholarship options at your school, in your community, and through scholarship search engines online. We have a list of useful resources here. Start brainstorming your scholarship essays and gathering materials for your scholarship applications.  

Regular Decision Applications 

Once your early decision applications are submitted, you want to make sure you are prepared for the next round of admissions deadlines. Now is the time to look through your list of colleges to confirm their regular decision deadlines and list out the materials and essays you’ll need to have for each of them.

If you haven’t already, create a folder on your computer or Google Drive and create a document for each college. Here, copy over the essay prompts and supplementals into one place. That way, you know everything you need to write about for each school. 

Bonus Tip: As you’re copying over the different essay prompts for each college, you’ll start to see a few of the questions overlap or have similar themes. Feel free to use parts of the same essay for different schools, as long as you’re always making sure that any college-specific information is removed or matches exactly the college you’re currently applying for. 

Remembering these four essential steps after your early decision application will keep you on track and prepare you for the next round of applications.