Have you submitted a college application? Hooray! Pat yourself on the back.
However, don’t forget the importance of checking your application status, before decisions are released. To make sure that all of your materials for your application actually arrived. For example, how about those test scores you sent? The transcript your counselor told you was on the way? Those letters of recommendation? How about that application fee? There are a lot of pieces to your college application. Some you have control over sending and some you do not. However, it is your job, not the colleges, to make sure all of the pieces to your application are not only submitted but have arrived.
Keep in mind that for many colleges, it may take up to six weeks for materials to be received and added to your application. Some materials have to go through regular snail mail, campus mail, then be opened and scanned by a processing staff before even getting added to your application file. These items may take a little while to show up in your application. That is perfectly normal.
So, allow plenty of time for the materials to arrive but don’t forget to check your status. Even before your admissions decision is released you can confirm that all of the necessary items are in your admissions file. You can typically do this in a variety of ways. Many colleges have online accounts where you can check your status as well as view a checklist of items that are completed or still missing. Or, you can always pick up the phone and call the admissions office to confirm. Remember, admissions counselors are very busy this time of year so calling them every day to make sure they received materials is not a good plan. However, a friendly polite call saying you want to confirm that your materials arrived won’t hurt.
If items are missing, take the necessary steps to complete them, and make sure to follow up.
