What to do After Applying to College Early Decision or Early Action

What to do After Applying to College Early Decision or Early Action The run-up to the November 1st early action (EA) and early decision (ED) deadlines at the majority of colleges is, for many students, one of the most stressful times in their young lives. Yet, for all of the unwanted nerves and sleepless nights, there is also a dopamine rush that comes with striving single-mindedly toward an important life goal. Hyper-focusing on a singular event is an intense experience and when the EA and ED deadlines first appear in the rearview mirror, some teens are left with an overwhelming sense of†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Now what?†While November 1st until the next most common deadline date of January 1st can feel like a dead zone, there are actually many consequential steps that you can take during this timeframe.Confirm that application materials have been receivedThis doesn’t mean that on November 2nd you should begin pestering the admissions office with â€Å"Did you get my application?† emails. While you are understandably anxious to know that yo ur application has landed safely in the hands of the intended gatekeepers, refrain from giving into childish, â€Å"Are we there yet?† style harassment.Rather, students should check their inboxes daily (including spam folders) for a confirmation email. If this doesn’t arrive within two-to-three weeks, feel free to send the admissions office a short email inquiry asking them to confirm that your application was received.Schedule interviewsSome schools solely offer on-campus interviews; others only offer off-campus alumni interviews, and a growing number of institutions do now allow for more flexible policies that include phone or Skype options. Consult our comprehensive list of interview policies at 360+ schools for information about your prospective colleges. Depending on a given school’s policy, they may want you to wait to be contacted by an admissions officer, or the onus may actually be on the student to contact the school to schedule an interview. Check the admissions website of the school(s) to which you have applied. If this information proves difficult to locate (it shouldn’t), you can always shoot the admissions office an email.Of course, you don’t want to forget to also prepare for the actual interview, particularly if it is evaluative in nature (some are merely for informational purposes). To help you get ready, revisit our previous blog offering college interview tips.Continue working at a steady pace on apps and essaysLike a runner in a marathon, it’s of vital importance that you pace yourself over these fall and early winter months. Submitting your ED or EA application is a wonderful achievement and gives you a leg up as you look to tackle the remaining stages of the process. After all, you have already completed a polished essay that can be used for all future applications through the Common or Coalition App and you won’t have to renter demographic data, the name of your mother’s employer, or the weighting system utilized by your high school ever again. However, this doesn’t mean that future applications, should you ultimately need to submit them, will not require a great deal of work.Many selective schools have lengthy supplemental sections that can catch battle-weary applicants off guard later in the process. You will almost certainly have to tackle a â€Å"Why this College?† essay for each school to which you may apply in the regular cycle. In order to do this this well you need to genuinely personalize each essay of this nature and, for those applying to a dozen schools, this will undoubtedly consume countless hours. Knocking some of these out in November and December will help you avoid having a miserable New Year’s Eve filled with scrambling to slop together some semblance of supplemental essays.Consider additional  standardized tests Both the ACT and SAT are offered in early-to-mid December and you should strongly consider sitting one las t time for the exam. On the SAT, students typically enjoy a natural improvement of 40 points the second time that they take the test and the College Board found that just 20 hours of targeted practice through Khan Academy resulted in an average score gain of 115 points. Remember, thanks to the practice of superscoring, you only have to improve one section of either exam to improve your standing as an applicant.Also keep in mind, that admissions considerations are only one reason to consider sitting for one final exam. Standardized test scores also play a huge role in determining which applicants receive offers of merit aid.The November 1st to January 1st period is also a good time to take or retake SAT Subject Tests. While few schools flat-out require the submission of tests anymore (Caltech and MIT still do), many universities still strongly recommend their submission. If you haven’t already completed the recommended examinations, absolutely do so during this span of time.Re view school-specific policies on SAT Subject Tests in our Dataverse.Keep earning strong gradesMany selective universities now actually require the submission of one’s first quarter senior year grades with early applications. Boston University, Duke University, Tufts University, and Babson College all mandate the submissions of Q1 grades for all who apply early. Even if there is no official requirement of this nature, applicants can still volunteer evidence of a strong senior year start. Institutions such as William Mary, NYU, and Northeastern will all accept first-quarter scores, if submitted. This is of particular importance to late-bloomers who want to demonstrate an upward trajectory or anyone who had a junior year blemish (or two).College Transitions’ big-picture advice If you applied to your number one choice school in November, you will learn your fate sometime between mid-December and mid-January. Even if you are due to hear back on the early side of that windo w—elite schools like Brown University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago all notify by mid-December—if you are rejected or deferred that gives you only two weeks until the regular deadline clock strikes midnight.Think of all of the work you will do between November 1st and January 1st as purchasing an insurance policy. No one gets excited about buying insurance but, boy, are you glad to have it when the roof collapses. If you end up opening an acceptance letter from your dream school right before the holidays, the last thing on your mind will be lamenting all of the â€Å"wasted† hours preparing other applications—you’ll simply be too overjoyed. If less positive news arrives, you’ll be eternally grateful to your past self (that’s you right now!) for having the foresight to prepare in advance for the challenges and duties that now lie ahead.

How to Find Accommodation in Second Year

Tips on How to Find Accommodation in Second Year Work out your budget It is important to know your budget and stick to it. It will always be tempting to look at more expensive properties, and they may be amazing. However, if you cannot afford to live there then looking at the house is not going to help you in your search. It may be useful to use a student budget calculator to see the rent you can afford. When thinking about budgeting, you need to consider not only rent, but bills as well. As a student you will not have to pay council tax. However, you will need to think about water, electricity, gas, TV licence and broadband. This means that with a bigger house you will be using more of these, but you will have more people to split the bills between. Get to know the area Student houses have a tendency to be in the cheaper areas of towns and cities. This can also mean the area can be a lot less safe, so make sure the house is secure. You also need to consider that you need to be close to a supermarket in order to do your food shop. It is also best to be in a predominantly student area, as living next to a family could cause problems if you want to have late night parties. It is also important to know if you will have to get public transport to University. As a lot of student housing houses are away from the centre, you can be paying to get the bus/train every day. It is important to take this into consideration. Choose your housemates carefully You need to consider that you will be living with your housemates for at least a year. If you enjoy peace and quiet, then it probably is not the best idea to live with housemates who like to go out partying every night.   However, ultimately whomever you decide to live with can end up becoming lifelong friends. Private landlord or estate agent? Your university will most likely provide you with a list of reputable landlords and student estate agents. There are two renting options when you are starting your house search. Option one is renting through an estate agent. This has perks as you can usually split the tenancy agreements so if a housemate does not pay rent, it is down to them and not the rest of the house to pay. Also, when something goes wrong in the house, estate agents can be quicker at getting things fixed. You can also opt for bills included in the price with estate agents, this means that you do not have the worry of trying to get money from your housemates. However, they can work out more expensive and they are a lot stricter with final inspections on the house when you come to try and get your deposit back. Private landlords usually work out cheaper as you are not paying a company as well, however, they have fewer rules and regulations to follow. Therefore you can see yourself in difficult situation if you have problems with your house. Overall, it is best to way up all the pros and cons in order to decide on the best option for you and your housemates. Look around the house carefully If the rent is very cheap, then there is normally a reason for this. It is important to look for any warning signs in the houses you look around. Look out for any mould or wet patches on the walls and ceilings. Make sure there are no signs on vermin in the house. Check that all of the appliances work, you do not want to have to live without a fridge or oven. Make sure all the locks work. As it will be rented to numerous people, they should provide individual locks for every door for safety reasons. Pros of private accommodation It can work out cheaper than halls, especially if you can live in a larger house share You have more independence Living with only friends that you have chosen to live with Cons of private accommodation You have to split the bills, this can become problematic if your housemates decide not to pay You need to clean and look after a whole house You may be further out of town or away from campus You have to do your own cleaning