School does not start until September 2nd where I am. However, I plan on applying EA to all my schools. Most have a Nov 1st/15th deadline. One has an Oct 15th deadline. Most applications open by August 1st. Should one start the application process with the guidance counselor, my counselor won’t answer his email until they get back to the school later in August. I really don’t know how much I actually need my guidance counselor to apply. Honestly, I just want to get a head start, as some colleges have a first come/first serve basis when it comes to merit-aid and studf like that. Should I wait? I don’t plan on taking SAT/ACT anymore.
The college won’t even begin to read your app until your school report and transcript are rec’d. Yes, it’s 1st come 1st served but you’re being a little ridiculous. No EA programs dribble out fin aid to early birds. The entire EA pool is viewed in its entirety for fin aid purposes.
While @T26E4 is correct that there is no leg up on financial aid, getting an early start on applications allows you to work on your essays without juggling them with homework. It also helps to begin early to organize the number of essays you will need to complete - not only for the application itself, but also for merit scholarships and special programs. Moreover, this is a good time to put together your resume and have that readily available for completing applications. All that said, waiting to submit until closer to the deadlines allows you to read the applications over and over again to make sure there are no typographical or grammatical errors, which are quite common I hear.
Right now, start writing down all of your ExtraCurriculars and how long and when you did them.
Choose your Common App Essay topic and start working on that.
Have a list of colleges and start visiting if you haven’t already.
Based on that list, see which ones have essays/short answers you need to write about and start on those.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO APPLY BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS.
But have as much as you can ready. And merit aid is given out early…but if you are applying EA you are early.
You most definitely need your GC’s recommendations and your teacher’s recommendations. Talk to them ASAP.
Write up a “brag sheet” if your school does not require that so your GC is aware of your accomplishments.