We Started in June for This Moment…

I can’t believe I’m done. 

I’m SO relieved!

My friends are freaking out. 

I feel for them, but I’m so glad this is over.

The sense of relief seniors feel when those early applications are submitted is almost indescribable. 

Every October, I ask my seniors the same question:

What could I have told you in June that would have helped you understand how good you’d feel when you were done early?

The answer is always the same: NOTHING.

The Headed for College philosophy and timeline for seniors is methodical: start in June, be done by Thanksgiving. As soon as AP exams wrap up in May, we begin brainstorming essays. We navigate around summer travel and summer programs, but our goal is to focus on the Common App essay (aka the personal statement) in June and July. This essay highlights the ways students have grown, changed, expanded their perspective, and evolved. It’s not an easy one to write, but we have a collaborative brainstorming process and we work with many of our students for years before it’s personal statement time, so we have the benefit of knowing them on a deeper level. The Common App essay is shared with (almost) all of the colleges that are on the Common App platform. Once the Common App essay is in the final stages of review, we share it with other counselors on our team to get fresh eyes and perspectives. To the best of our ability, we mimic an admissions office review to make sure that we gain important feedback before the student finalizes the essay.

From there, we move on to college supplemental essays. Most colleges have their own set of college-specific essays in addition to the Common App essay. These can range from “Why are you applying to our school?” to “What’s your favorite snack?” to “Tell us about a book you’ve read in high school that has had an impact on your life/perspective.” And these are some of the simpler ones! Some colleges have eliminated the supplemental essays, but others ask students to respond to somewhere between one and twelve (!) school-specific essay prompts of various lengths. Headed for College counselors work with students to build a timeline for these essays throughout the summer. We factor in breathing room for rounds of revisions, edits, and adjustments to make sure the essays are as strong, authentic, and personal as possible. As we tackle these in July and August, fatigue sets in, but our regular meetings help keep students on track and accountable. 

Once senior year starts, assignments ramp up, and final essays loom over their heads, the reality sets in: this is the most demanding semester of high school. This is precisely the reason we get started early. No one is producing their best work in the 11^th hour, and by September, our students have written a number of high-quality essays and have built some good momentum. 

Between late September and mid-October, our students are finally ready to hit SUBMIT. With a genuine and compelling Common App essay that reflects who they are and supplemental essays that are thoughtful and focused, our seniors are often in disbelief when they are done. “Wait, is this our last call?” “Am I really done?” “My friends are freaking out about the upcoming deadlines, and I’ve been done for weeks.” 

The lightbulb goes off. They finally realize there’s a method to our madness. A reason behind all of the trackers and reminders, and late-night Google Doc edits in August. We were working towards this moment, and now they can sit back and breathe a massive sigh of relief. Senior year is theirs to enjoy with one small caveat…

Now begins the waiting game before decisions roll in. 

This year, Headed for College students submitted 822 applications by the early November deadlines, and have already received over 30 acceptances. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your student through this process.