With school out and your schedule a little lighter, summer is the perfect time to get a head start on your college applications—and trust me, your fall self will thank you for it!  The earlier you begin, the better your essays will be, and the less stress you’ll have once the busy school year arrives.  Having your applications polished and ready to submit will also allow you to take advantage of free application windows that many public universities offer, usually early in the application cycle.

The Common App has announced its annual rollover will start with a platform shutdown on July 28 at 5 pm. I like my students to have all the “common” parts of the Common App in good shape when that happens, meaning the parts of the application that will go to every college. This includes the personal essay and any other writing, such as items in the optional Additional Information section. That section will have some updates when the new application cycle opens on August 1; click here for details. Students applying to colleges that are not on the Common App, such as the University of California campuses, may also want to get started on those applications and writing in the next few weeks as well.

To get you started, I’m offering application and essay workshops that include a webinar and an individual follow-up session.   You can see details and register here.  If you’re in the DC area, I’m also holding an in-person work session on Capitol Hill on July 19—bring your laptop and your questions.

As you’re working, remember that anything you enter in the “My Colleges” tab now will not be saved in the rollover, so if you’re working on supplemental essays before August you’ll need to save any school-specific essay drafts in a separate document. Then, when the Common App platform reopens on August 1, it’s time to focus on the questions asked by individual colleges.

Finally, an update on financial aid: the Department of Education has announced that the FAFSA will open on October 1 this year, and they’ve made a change that will further streamline the process and make it easier for students to invite their “contributors” (usually parents or guardians) to submit financial information. You can read about the details here.