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!  This is especially true for the writing you’ll be doing. A head start will lead to better essays and less stress once the busy school year arrives. Having your applications polished and ready to submit will also allow you to take advantage of the 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—the sections that will go to every college—final, or nearly so, when that happens. 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, should be working 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 application support session on Capitol Hill on July 19. Contact me for details.

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 drafting school-specific essays before August you’ll need to save them 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.