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One of my main pursuits in the Flex course was using the time, assistance, and structure to apply to colleges. Getting credit related to this process was beneficial to my school record, but also encouraged me to stay on time and on task because I was being evaluated. So in September, I started the long process of searching for colleges, and then eventually creating applications. Here is a record of my progress.
An Application Timeline
An Application Timeline
September- Throughout September I was just getting the hang of searching for and researching colleges. I slowly weeded out what criteria were most important to me, and then began looking for schools that could check as many of those boxes as possible. I wasn't finding as many as I hoped, and I realized that I had a lot of personal requirements. I found that Tufts filled nearly all of my criteria, and planned to apply there Early Decision.
October- In October, I solidified a list of ten schools (for the time being) and began looking into the criteria for applications. After a weekend visit to RisD and Tufts, I found that not only was RisD much more interesting than I had expected (Providence Rhode Island is great), but that Tufts didn't have everything I hoped it would. The gender ratio is only 17% male, and they don't have as advanced sculpture facilities as I had thought. I decided not to ED there, and instead planned on Regular Decision to all of my schools. I opened and began filling in my Common Application, and towards the end of the month put in requests for letters of recommendation with teachers.
November- Without applying Early Decision or Early Action to any schools, I suddenly had an extra month before app deadlines. I took this time to do further research, fill out the Common App, start writing supplementals, and dedicate some time to other projects like the mural.
December- Throughout December I altered my list for the final time, deciding to drop Cornell and add Columbia and Pratt, which left me with eight schools. I spent the month writing supplementals and preparing to submit applications. My earliest deadline was January 1st, but I decided that I would get every single application in before the new years. I basically achieved this, though I ended up submitting Columbia on January first. I felt more confident throughout this month. I had a pretty good grip on the process and my format of keeping track of everything, and with the end in site I could stay motivated.
January- Once all the applications were in, all I had to do was create a portfolio to submit for each school. Though I used nearly the same art every time, each school has slightly different interests and criteria, so they weren't all duplicates. On January 20th I submitted RisD, my final portfolio.
Overall, I think my application process went about as well as it could have gone. I am by nature a complete overthinker, and spent many of these months wondering if I was missing opportunities, not doing enough research, or going about it all wrong. The process made me feel like I was always forgetting something, but looking back at everything, I can say that I kept diligent track of every decision and move I made. If I were to do it again, I would probaly go about everything a little differently, but what I did worked, and that's all that matters now.
If I were to give some advice to rising seniors about to go through the whole process, here's what I would say:
Make a spreadsheet, having one location that keeps nearly all information in an oderly fashion saved me many times.
A little work every day will always be better than cramming, but try writing a good draft of supplementals or essays all in one sitting. It's all about the headspace you're in when you write it, and trying to recreate that on a new day doesn't always work.
Look ahead to all the work you'll need to do. My supplementals took much longer than I expected, and the portfolio deadlines snuck up as well.
Visit as many colleges as possible, every time I went to one I found a completely different perspective of the school than I had expected.
what would you do again?
I would make a detailed spreadsheet again, or at least some location where I kept track of all my information and progress. Referring back to that was often very helpful.
I would also have a single document for all of my supplementals again, that also helped in consolidating the work I needed to complete.
what would you do differently?
I would spend a little more time in the search process. In the beginning, I just looked at one school at a time, only adding ones to the list that fit all my interests. In the future, I would rather make a large rough list and narrow it down.
I would look further into the future with my planning, creating a framework of what needed to get done every month, all based on the application deadlines.
I would also do a little more research on my schools. Colleges love hearing why you are interested in them specifically, stuff that's unique and can't be copy and pasted between schools. Learning a little more about each school could have aided my supplemental writing a lot.
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