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The college application process is one of the most stressful in a student's life. But even after the process is finished, students may still wonder what to do next or if they can check or edit submitted applications. Here's everything you need to know on submitting your college application and what to do after that.
How do I Submit an Application Online?
Every school will have its own unique procedure for submitting college application documents. Often, the process is done online, but the institution allows students to send their documents via mail in some cases. For the online process, most students use The Common Application or a specific own institution application.
The Common App helps to save time as once the application is submitted, its sent to any of the colleges available on their list. This is a great time saver for an applicant who wants to send applications to two or more schools as it eliminates the process of completing each individual college application. To submit an application online using The Common App:
- Start by confirming that the school you want to apply to uses the Common App
- If it does create an account
- Add the schools you want to send your application to My College List
- Review the admission requirement for each college you are considering
- Gather all the information and documents required
- Upload your documents and complete all the essential parts of the application before the deadline
- Track the status of your application
What Does Application Submitted Mean?
It means you have completed the application process, and your documents have been sent to the school.
How Do I Download A Submitted Application?
Using the Common App, you can use your account to access submitted applications on your dashboard and download them in PDF format. Note that the PDF copy doesn't include the letter of recommendation.
How Do You Know If My Application Is Submitted?
The icons on the dashboard will help you track the status of your application. A yellow circle means your application is still in progress; a red marking implies that college does not require a specific college application section.
In this case, edit the application and remove the unwanted material before hitting the submit button. This is a crucial step as it proves to the admissions board that you can follow directions.
Besides, once the application, including a written essay, has been submitted to the specific college, you can't edit it or make any changes. However, for future submissions, you can edit your information at any time.
What Happens to College Application After It’s Submitted
Once you hit the submit button from The Common App, all the information is sent to the university admissions office. If the sent documents are complete, your application will progress to an admissions officer who will put it under review or incomplete. In the review section, multiple reviewers will read the application, and each will give their decision. The result is compiled and sent to the applicant.
4 Things to Do After Submitting Your College Application
After I have submitted my application, what next?
Register In the Online Applicant Portal
After submitting your applications, the school will take a few business days to respond. Most schools will send a link for the online applicant portal or a username and password you can use to login into their portals.
After receiving this crucial information, create an account and use it to check the status of your application. Make it a habit to log in to the portal because its where the admission office will communicate their decision or request you to send additional information.
Apply For Financial Aid
It's important to submit all the forms for applying for financial aid within the stipulated deadline; otherwise, you won't be considered. Often you will have to fill out and submit the FAFSA form. The FAFSA is ideal for students seeking federal loans, grants, state scholarships, or federal work-study programs.
It's best to complete the forms with a guardian or parents because they ask financial questions that probably you won't know how to answer well.
Have An In-Person or Virtual Campus Visit
The best way to get a feel of the school and whether it's a great fit for you is to visit the campus. If you are near the school, you can take a campus tour physically with parents or friends. On the other hand, schedule a virtual tour if you are an international student or can't physically visit the school.
You can also use different methods to engage with a college, such as following them on social media or attending a college fair. This is a crucial step that can weigh in the admission decision process.
Additionally, if you are having a hard time choosing between two schools, visiting can help make the decision process simple. The trick is to tour the campus talk to the college student's representative, current students taking the course you want to pursue, professors, and even non-teaching staff.
You can even go further and check the dorm rooms, dining halls, lecture rooms, and other places on the campus. Do everything possible to get a firsthand view of your potential university or college.
Meet All Crucial Deadlines
Colleges and universities have specific deadlines for when to accept or decline an invitation for admission and even when to pay for a deposit to secure a seat in class. Such deadlines ensure that if you turn down the enrollment, they can give your slot to a student on the waiting list. So keep up with all the deadlines to make timely decisions.
Final Thought
You need to do several things after submitting your college application that can help make your academic journey easier. Part of the college application will involve writing an essay. If your writing skills are not strong enough, don't risk trying to write the essay on your own.
Look at examples submitted by our experts and use them as a writing guide. On the other hand, you can simplify things by placing an order and allowing a professional to do all the work on your behalf.
