While each phase of the college admissions process is important, nothing is more important than actually completing the applications. Done correctly, you provide colleges with information and essays that help them know you as a unique student and person, different from other applicants.

Here are the steps to complete an individual undergraduate admissions application:

1. Determine which school you want to apply to and whether it uses its own application, the Common Application or the UCA.
2. Through the college’s admission website or the Common Application Requirements Grid, find out what and when forms must be completed
   • Determine if the school has a Preliminary Form that must be completed and by what date
3. Complete all the forms for which you are responsible
4. Download and fill out your section for other required forms and distribute them to appropriate recommenders (See Guide 13 Letters of Recommendation for what to provide counselors, teachers and other recommenders)
5. Identify the essay questions
6. Decide on a focus for your application and topics for the essay questions
7. Write, edit and upload essays onto online application (For help with this, see Writing The Essays guide)
8. Gather any supplemental materials (e.g., activities resume, art portfolio, etc.)
9. Print and then send all application materials by the due date
10. Contact College Board to send transcript of SAT and/or Subject Test scores to college and/or contact ACT to have ACT transcript send to college
11. Have your high school and other academic transcripts sent to the college
12. If available, make arrangements for an admissions interview (For help with this, see Admissions Interviews, Guide 14)
13. Two weeks after all application materials have been sent, check with the college to make sure all your materials have been received
14. Make sure Mid-year Report is sent to the college after first semester grades come out

	Junior Year Fall Semester Take the October PSAT. Take a practice SAT and ACT (often offered free by the likes of Princeton Review) to see which better suits you. Junior year is most critical for getting good grades. Get a jump-start first semester and then do the same second semester. 11th grade is when to develop leadership positions, do something special, and lay the groundwork for such in your senior year. Begin thinking about your college list and making contact with the college reps assigned to your high school from every college. Spring Semester Decide when you are going to take the different admissions tests. If needed,sign up for test tutoring and have all of tests completed by June of your junior year. Make plans for what you will do the summer before your senior year. Many colleges will be asking about this on their applications. Put together an activities resume. Begin getting serious about a college list; research colleges through guidebooks and the Internet. Use Spring Break to visit some colleges. Summer Before Senior Year Narrow down your college list to 10-15. Update your activities resume. With your resume in hand, identify activities, talents or interests about which you can write essays. Make plans to visit colleges during the summer and/or fall and interview at the colleges that offer them. Sign up for any SAT I, Subject Test or ACT tests that you need to take in the fall. Decide if you are going to apply Early admissions.
	Senior Year See above for what to do with each college application.
	Parents Completing college applications is an overwhelming job for even the most brilliant, resourceful, organized students. It’s important for you to understand the scope and the stress that comes with this demanding process. In our minds, the college application process is a family activity: students are the lead players, while parents are the support cast and cheerleaders (and, of course, the people who pay the bills). Students are at their best when their parents are helpful (but not pushy), available (but not over involved), resourceful (but not demanding), interested (but not critical), enthusiastic (but not overbearing), open (but also know how to hold their tongues even when they don’t want to). College admissions is an intense time for any family, but the payoff is big: a happy, involved student who gets to spend four exciting years at a college he or she loves.

If you want more information about any of the above, or

• A description of the different kinds of college applications and what forms they offer
• A complete list of everything you need before you fill out an application
• Materials to gather and filing system to develop before completing your applications
• Insider advice on what matters in applications
• Section by section advice on filling out an application
  • First year application
  • Preliminary form
  • Student information
  • Family information
  • High school academic information
  • What to put as a major
  • Test information
  • Academic Honors, Activities and Employment grids
  • Short and long essays
  • Supplemental materials
  • Recommendation forms
  • Scholarship application forms
• How to follow-up on all your applications
• Grids and checklists:
  • Application Due Date List
  • Master Essay Grid
  • Individual Application Checklist
  • Master Admissions Checklist (with everything you must do for all applications)

If you want to gain access to Guide 11, Completing Applications, click here for an online, bare bones version.

You can also purchase an illustrated, formatted, printable, PDF color version of this guide for $2.50. We offer this and 14 other printable color guides in order to support the upkeep of this website and to develop a future Spanish language version.

How the color PDF version differs from the free online one can best be demonstrated by your viewing a free guide by clicking here.