You cannot apply to college in one sitting.
You will not wake up on some Saturday morning, sit down at your desk, and write a breathtaking application with punchy verbs in three hours. That magical essay that strikes readers as confident yet self-deprecating, knowing yet curious, and above all else, memorable? That takes weeks to write.
But the deadlines approach. University of California wants your application by November 30. Yale needs your work by December 31.
Here are a few tips to help you manage your apps.
Use a planner. If you’re electronically inclined, use iStudiez Pro on your iPhone or My Study Life on your Android. Create a class called College Applications. Where you would normally put in exams, plug in ACT test dates, financial aid deadlines, and application deadlines.
Set concrete goals for yourself each week. Ask teachers for recommendations by Friday. Write the first draft of your essay by Saturday. Don’t set too many goals during weeks with other exams. But maximize weeks where your biology teacher is sick and the substitute forgot to give you homework.
Break down tasks. Writing a first draft is a big task. You tell yourself you have to write it all today. You freak out. You procrastinate to avoid the hellfire.
Try this instead: Write the first paragraph during your lunch break. Write the second when you're waiting to pick up your sister from soccer practice. You do not need to write the whole thing at once. Name the small piece you want to accomplish first and do that.Use the Pomodoro Technique. This method forces you to work for 25 minutes straight. Set your phone to airplane mode. Turn off your laptop wi-fi. When you finish, take a five-minute break. Get water and a power bar. Text your friends back. Then get back to work. Repeat this cycle four times before taking a longer break.