There’s no excuse to procrastinate writing your college application essays. The essays you submit in your college application are arguably the most critical pieces of writing you will ever create. So much hinges on turning out a successful, strategic set of essays, so why put it off to the last minute? You’ll only be jeopardizing your odds of admission to a highly selective school. The best writing is a collaborative process — multiple sets of discerning eyes have reviewed everything from famous political speeches to Hollywood screenplays. By saving your college essays for the last minute, you don’t give yourself the time to go through this crucial revision process. And despite what your performance on that APUSH test or Biology presentation may have indicated, you can’t write a good essay overnight. It takes time, not a caffeine-fueled all-nighter!

The Best College Application Timeline for Successful Essays

We at Ivy Coach recommend that students finish — that’s right, finish — all of their college essays by the Early Action/Decision deadline for all their schools. Yes, that includes Regular Decision essays! The process should ideally start in the spring semester of your junior year, in which you should begin brainstorming how you will demonstrate your competitive singular hook in your storytelling. By the time summer rolls around, you should have started drafting your Common Application’s Personal Statement. This way, by the time your prospective colleges release their supplemental essay questions, which you can usually access around August 1st, you’re ready to dive into the specific academics, history, culture, traditions, and activities found at the colleges you’ve chosen. The most competitive applicants cite these details after thorough research.

Ivy Coach’s package clients follow our recommended timeline and apply to their top choice school during the Early Action/Decision round. Our team of former elite college admissions officers provides a roadmap for success by working with our clients to develop a singular admissions hook in their activities throughout high school that will wow their prospective schools. We guide our clients through the entire application process, from choosing the right essay topics to crafting compelling essays. However, if you’re reading this now and you’re worried that your child hasn’t gotten their ducks in a row in time to optimize their odds of admission to the school of their dreams, fear not! There is still time to turn this ship around!

How Ivy Coach Revamps Applications in the Days Before Regular Decision Deadlines

We get it. Sometimes, you drop the ball, and things get ahead of you. For those prospective clients who come to Ivy Coach at the last minute — just shy of Regular Decision deadlines — there’s still a lot we can do to turn your applications around. Sure, there will be things we can’t fix. For example, if you thought taking AP Statistics after AP Calculus BC instead of Multivariable Calculus would go unnoticed by college admissions officers, we won’t be able to undo this misguided decision magically. If deadlines are quickly approaching, we can’t help you choose activities that complement a singular admissions hook, as we do with our package clients who come to us months or years before admissions season. 

But we’ve found that sometimes the most strategic change your application or essays need is hiding in plain sight. If you or your child has chosen a “third-rail” Personal Statement topic, i.e., sports, music, grandparents, travel, illness, or community service, we’ll help you pivot to a more competitive topic that won’t kill your chances of admission. If you’ve made the mistake of presenting as well-rounded, we’ll redirect you to a singular hook drawn from your activities and interests that will give admissions officers faith that you will be an active and engaged member of your future campus community. Sometimes, you only need a second set of eyes to edit and revise your essays. No matter your needs, we’ve got you covered!

If you’re interested in optimizing your child’s odds of admission to a highly selective college, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services.