Things I Wish I Knew Before Diving Into Application Season

Once you click the magnificent submit button on the CommonApp, you get virtual confetti (yes, very joyous I know).  And while it feels like a cinematic ending, it is not the end of the journey. A few days later, you’ll receive an email from the college asking you to set up your applicant portal. This portal becomes the official source of information for everything in your application: what has been received, what is still pending, and what still needs your attention.

While, in most cases, your high school counselor is responsible for uploading transcripts and recommendations, counselors often manage large caseloads. Do not assume everything is handled, check until you see every green check. 

If your program requires an artistic portfolio, plan ahead. Submit your Common App ideally a month before the deadline so you have time to prepare and upload your portfolio materials.

For portfolio-based programs, the application is not complete until both components are submitted, and students do not get a grace period.

When I first opened the Common App and read through all the essay questions, I froze and staring at my blank Google Doc didn’t help. Some of the prompts felt abstract, others felt impossibly deep, and many felt like they were asking me to reflect on my life in a way I had never done before. I remember staring at questions like “Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea…” and thinking, I don’t even know what my “story” is. 

I had never reflected on my life in the depth that was suddenly expected in these essays. But this is exactly where the biggest growth happens. This process forces you to pause and actually understand yourself, your values, your motivations, your turning points. It makes you ask difficult but important questions: Why does this matter to me? How did this moment shape the person I am? What part of myself have I never articulated before? And even though that kind of introspection feels uncomfortable at first, it becomes the foundation of your strongest writing.

Here’s something I wish I knew when writing: be simple and answer the prompt. There is no trick or hidden meaning behind the questions. Write in a way that feels natural. Be as clear as possible. Break down the prompt and make sure you respond to every part of it. Don’t overthink it. Don’t try to guess what admissions officers want to hear. The more you try to sound impressive, the more you dilute your real voice.

Another thing that really helped me was saving every draft. Even the messy ones, even the ones I was convinced were awful. I can’t count the number of times I pulled a sentence, a metaphor, or a reflection from an old draft and used it in a completely different essay. Your ideas evolve, and sometimes what doesn’t work for one prompt doesn’t work because it is perfect for a different one.

One thing I absolutely was not prepared for WAS how quickly deadlines stack up. On paper, it looks manageable, but in reality, everything starts happening at once. December feels like a countdown. 

And this isn’t because you’re unorganized or behind, this is simply how the timeline works. The best thing you can do is anticipate the chaos and structure it before it hits.

Put every single deadline into Google Calendar the moment you learn about it. Set multiple reminders: one a week ahead, one a few days ahead, and one the morning of. Break each application into smaller pieces and add those to your calendar too.

Giving yourself visual structure helps you stay grounded when everything starts happening at once.

While online spaces can be helpful, they can also send you into a spiral if you’re not careful.

Use the internet strategically. It’s great for learning about student life, campus culture, financial aid tips, and hearing honest experiences from people who actually attend the schools you’re applying to. But it is not the place to compare your stats to strangers’, diagnose your chances, analyze acceptance patterns, look for “essay hacks,” or obsess over who got in where with what GPA. Those things only create anxiety because you’re comparing yourself to incomplete stories without any context.

Be intentional with what you consume: use resources that inform you, not ones that undermine you.