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Every step organized by phase — from building your college list junior year through hitting submit and deciding by May 1.
✗ Missing a "stealth" deadline
Some schools have scholarship deadlines weeks before their admission deadline. Build one master calendar with every school and every deadline type.
✗ Waiting on SAT/ACT scores to finalize your list
Build your list now. Scores can be retaken through November, but essays take 3 months to do well.
✗ Treating safety schools like backups
Apply to safeties early and seriously. Scholarship money often flows more freely at schools where your stats are above average.
✗ Copying the personal statement into supplemental essays
Supplementals are graded separately. They are also where you explain fit — why this school, not just who you are.
✗ Submitting before checking the school name
Many applicants accidentally leave one school's name in another school's supplemental. Always search for every school name before submitting.
Need help tracking applications? Use the Applications tracker to manage deadlines, or share this checklist with your school counselor.