I have to disagree with what’s already been posted for one critical reason: if a school has a binding early decision program, and you’re not 100% sure that you want to go there, you’ll want to wait until after that deadline has passed before sending in your application.

As for the other schools…no, you don’t want to wait until the last minute, and it’s not a bad idea to send an application to at least one place with rolling admissions early so you know someone wants you, but I didn’t get most of my apps in until December, and I was fine. Just double-check the deadlines on the places you’re interested in.

The sooner the better.

A great milestone deadline for applying to college is Thanksgiving. I think Thanksgiving is the latest a person can apply with any hope of getting into college. While some people have been accepted much later, the chances are slim.

Basically think of it like this… the college has only X amount of students they can accept. They also have a roundabout figure of what kind of students they want. For example, GPA higher than 3.25, extra curricular activities, an SAT score higher than 1400, etc. At first, they will take people that pass that and maybe even a bit below that. They have enough spots to fill… especially if its a state school or a local school. They feel slightly more obligated to honor residents of the area/state before others.

Then a few months pass and the number of admissions left are getting slim. They still have a lot of applications left. So basically now they raise the requirements… now if you don’t meet the minimum expectations, they will deny you entry. They accept only those who meet their demands of the type of student they want.

Now there is only a month left or so (aka near Thanksgiving) and competition is REALLY fierce. Now there is only a few more thousand spots left. Now they chose only the highest qualifications. They turn down people who even beat the minimum requirements to get into the school. For example while the minimum GPA is 3.25, they are turning down 3.4 and 3.5 and admitting those with 3.9 and 4.0s, etc.

You get the idea.

So hurry up and get those applications in! Not only does it improve your chances, but you find out if you’ve been accepted sooner! (aka if you find out you got into the college you wanted, you dont have to apply to others)

I would start applying the first week of your senior year. You should have a few of back up schools as well. And it is possible that at the last minute you will find a school that you’d like to apply to. So do lots of research! And don’t be afraid of a big college or university!

Generally you would start your college search, requesting material, brochures etc. and visiting some top choices, during junior year. You can start the application process as soon as the applications for the year you are planning to attend become available, typically in late spring or early summer of the year prior to your senior year. Almost all colleges and universities now provide online access to application materials to ease the process. Many schools also use the “so-called” common application. You complete this once along with any supplemental material required and select from the list of schools that are to receive the application. I say, “so-called” because most schools require their own supplemental applications in addition to the common app. One important thing is planning. Make sure to gather all your materials and make lists of your activities and high school accomplishments before starting. This will save you a lot of time! Deadlines for applications vary widely and you’ll need to verify them with the colleges you want to apply to. the UC schools in California, for example, have a November 15th deadline. Some schools have rolling admissions with no strict deadline. Others vary from January 1st postmarks to March 1st with most somewhere in between. The vast majority of schools make their notifications by April 1st of the year prior to the start of a new class. If you start gathering materials and thinking about your essays in late summer you should be well prepared to complete the process in the early part of your senior year.

I started looking during my junior year but applied by the end of October during my senior year. I found out I was accepted into my top choice college. They weren’t going to tell me if I got a scholarship until the end of March. I checked out when they’d do that by calling Admissions. So while I knew I was accepted by November, I didn’t accept the offer of admission until after March after finding out I’d gotten two scholarships. If you tell them you will come there before they offer scholarships then they have no reason to offer you a scholarship. You’re already coming so why would they give you a scholarship? From talking to several people in the college administration at my school, they offer scholarships to the top students to try to get them to come to that particular school. So from my experience I would apply early but once you know you’re in, don’t respond to them and say you’re coming until shortly before the deadline (usually May).

That could be a little on the late side. It is my understanding that some colleges do first round selections in the Fall and Spring selections are the 2nd round or late registrants.

I also know that one strategy that students are taking is to apply their Junior year. You can defer admission up to one year and some students are taking advantage of this.

The best thing for you to do is to take a look at the timeline for the college that you are specifically interested in. Do that your junior year and then set a goal to get your applications in prior to the due date. Colleges begin to review applications upon receipt. And the sooner you get yours in, the better your chances.

It all depends on the individual school. I spent four years working in an admission office at a selective liberal arts university. Deadlines are REALLY serious with regards to college applications. Contact each school you are considering and ask them – there is no one stock answer.

The best guideline that I can provide (as a former admission professional) is to submit all of your applications by Thanksgiving – this will make your life a lot easier.

Also, AVOID early action and early decision programs – they are not fair to students!

Well, some of the state colleges already close their best scholarships by December, so it pays to start early. Many have rolling admissions which mean as soon as you apply you will hear. Many will wait until the first deadline to let you know.

I would continue to take the SAT or ACT again-maybe twice more to improve your odds of scholarships.

yeah, by summer before senior year, you should be touring the colleges and narrowing down you choices. Most applications have to be in by November or so of senior year, but check the deadlines for each college you are interested in. Once school starts you will be busy, so of possible write your personal statments and get your letters of reccomnation in the summer.

If you are going into your senior year now is the time to apply.