When's The Right Time to Apply for Colleges?

Hi, I've always been a little bit of a procrastinator, but I'm trying to get my act together for college apps. Can anyone let me know when I should start applying to colleges? Is there a certain time frame I should stick to?

The college application process typically begins during the summer or early fall of senior year in high school. Here is a general timeframe for you:

- Summer before Senior Year: This is a good time to start looking into colleges, making your college list, and perhaps even working on your essays. Most colleges will release their applications, including supplements, around August. If the colleges you're interested in offer early decision or early action admission, you typically need to have your application completed by November of your senior year.

- Early Fall (September-November): This time-frame is crucial for completing your applications if you're aiming for early decision or early action deadline (usually around November 1st or 15th). Some regular decision deadlines can also be in early January, so if you're not applying early, you should still try to have most of your work done during this time.

- Late Fall (December): Complete any remaining applications, especially those with a January Regular Decision deadline. Also, ensure that you have sent your official test scores (if required) and requested recommendation letters if you haven't done so yet.

- Winter (January): Submit all of your regular decision applications. Deadlines can range from January 1 to February 1 for many schools, although there are several schools with later deadlines.

- Spring (March-April): This is generally when colleges release their decisions. After you receive your admission decisions, you have until May 1st to decide which school you want to attend.

Remember, it's essential to keep track of all of your individual college deadlines. Every college can have a different deadline even for the same type of decision (EA, ED, Regular), so make sure to create a document or calendar to track these dates. Finally, don't procrastinate on these applications. Spending enough time on each component of your application can make a significant difference in your admissions results. Best of luck with your applications!