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The day has come… almost. Regular decision deadlines are just a few weeks away, and soon it will be time to kiss those admissions essays goodbye and send them off into the wide world. They grow up so fast. After spending so many hours laboring over each individual application, it can be hard to let go, to stop fussing, and to finally hit submit. You’ll have to do it eventually, though. We recommend submitting your final applications a MINIMUM of 48 hours before the final deadline to preempt any technical issues that might come up on the last day. If you can wrap things up even earlier, all the better for you. You’ll be able to enjoy your holidays.
Okay, duh. This is an obvious one, but it’s also the most important. Sometimes avoiding an essay can turn into forgetting all about it. Double check your list of prompts to make sure all essays are accounted for, and then do one last dive on the Common App and college websites to make sure you haven’t overlooked any hidden prompts.
This is your last shot to make sure that every last essay says something personal, and speaks to admissions from a unique perspective that could only be your own. Sure, some of your peers may have overlapping experiences in a broad sense, but do the details of your life put a singular twist on your topic? If you think it would be weird for anyone else to claim your essay as your own, your job is done.
Cross the i’s and dot the t’s. Even if you are a spelling bee champ and a grammar aficionado, you should still check your work. No one is immune to typos, and it would be such a shame to send off a beautifully written essay riddled with errors. While a single comma splice will probably not make or break your application, you don’t want to give admissions any reason to discount your candidacy. So do yourself a favor and take one last peek.
Good grief, this may be the single most important detail in any of your essays. Even though admissions officers know you are applying to other schools, you should never make them feel like you would rather focus your attention on other essays – or other schools.
Here’s your answer key: Yes, No, Yes, Yes. If these were your answers, it’s time to let it go and hit submit.
