Congratulations to everyone who has submitted Early Decision or Early Action applications! You’ve worked hard to reach this point, and I know it feels great to have some of your applications behind you. While you may be taking a well-deserved break, make sure you stay on top of the next steps. Check each college’s portal to confirm that your materials have been processed, including test scores for the schools where you’re submitting them. Remember that although some colleges allow you to self-report test scores, others require official score reports from the testing company. If you know your documents have been submitted but the portal indicates something is missing, contact the admissions office to find out how long you should expect it to take for documents to be marked as received.

As you turn your attention to the Regular Decision phase, now’s the time to set a clear plan. Many of my students find that they’ve already written essays in the early round that are similar to those they still have to complete, but each school’s version needs to be tailored to its unique aspects and offerings. Aim to submit everything by Thanksgiving if possible, or by mid-December at the latest, so you can enjoy your winter break without application stress. And remember that some colleges have separate applications for honors programs, scholarships, or special opportunities, so be sure to double-check those deadlines and build them into your timeline as well.

Finally, if you’ve started receiving admission offers—congratulations! Take time to celebrate, and keep an eye out for admitted-student events, which can help you learn more as you decide where you’ll ultimately enroll.