<p>I'm an incoming senior and because it is still summer and I don't have much to do besides study for my SAT, I want to know what I can do to get ahead in the college applications process. I know the process itself is very stressful, so is there anything I can do to make that process easier once it comes in a few months? Like can I write essays or what? So far I've written an activity list of what I've done in high school and made folders for the colleges I'm applying to. Please help me in moving forward in what to do to avoid more stress when it comes, as I have a very rigorous schedule of 5 AP classes this senior year. If this helps, I have a 4.33 GPA, am rank 16 out of 800 of my senior class and will apply to UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSD, UCI, and UCSB. Also, I really want to get into UCLA, so if there's something specific I could do to ensure I get in there that would be nice.</p>
<p>Just finish the apps now, the essay prompts have already been released.</p>
<p>Not all supplement essays have been released though, so make sure you aren’t doing last years essays if you find your school’s supplement.</p>
<p>Common app comes out on AUG 1st</p>
<p>Common app usually keeps the same prompts every year (also some schools do) so if you want to find out which ones then you can start those essays.</p>
<p>Also, according to my English teacher, even if the prompts change, they generally are the same general idea. Even if you write one on a certain prompt and it ends up not being a prompt, all it will need is a little tweaking.</p>
<p>Im confused. What are these essay prompts? Are they for only drizzymike’s choice colleges</p>
<p>Most people are talking about the Common App prompts. A lot of schools use the common app, so majority of applicants will end up having to do one of the common app prompts.</p>
<p>Luminiz, download the common application and and the attachments and read them. You need to get to work now if you haven’t already started if you are about to be a senior.</p>
<p>Drizzymike, what helped us were two spreadsheets: One that had all the contact and school specific info for each school - address, phone numbers for admissions, IDs and passwords, etc… so this info is handy. The other was a timeline for each school - when each documentment was due and when it got requested, submitted and received, where and on what date (like 'requested transcript from registrar, registrar mailed transcript on x date, school notes transcript received as of y date). You’ll need to be able to track a lot of paper going to a lot of schools each with their own deadlines.</p>