Now that most RD deadlines have gone by, many seniors (myself included) are anxiously awaiting April 1st but don’t know what to do in the mean time. Do any college students/grads have any advice that might be of help?
Don’t wait until a week before the deadline to do all your applications. Seriously.
Wish I retook SAT 2s.
I personally just kept busy with my clubs, hobbies, friends, etc. I didn’t remember my nerves until “judgment day.” I applied into an early program, so I’m dreading the waiting for late March and April, but I’m hoping for the best.
Have some fun this senior year! 
Because I applied pretty early (but not ED or anything smart like that), I keep getting told by people that I will know my decisions pretty soon. However, because of some crazy SAT scores and the fact that it’s been a month since my last app was sent, I’m thinking I won’t hear anything until march-ish, when everyone else knows as well. <em>sigh</em>
I should have chosen SUNYS that weren’t selective 
<ol>
<li>You need to plan things out in advance and then execute your plan. I had a plan of sorts but completed it piecemeal, and as a result I ended up with a fairly impulsive and scattered strategy.</li>
<li>Apply to plenty of rolling (or at a bare minimum EA) schools. Having good acceptances in hand early is a fabulous feeling.</li>
<li>Don’t apply to too many schools. I would aim for less than six.</li>
</ol>
I wish I prepared more for the ACTs …
I wish I tried harder in school.
I wish I applied early action.
Now we’re going to have to wait 4 long months D:
Ahhhhhhh!
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I wish I hadn’t been modest about my extracurricular activities. After finishing all my applications, I looked at my friend’s Interests & Activities list and realized there was a lot more I could have added.
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I wish I had worked harder on my artwork in Junior year and last summer. Junior year was really hard and I did not do any worthwhile work, which I am still kicking myself about.
My qualitative List of things I wish I had done.
- Not done so badly 1st and 2nd quarter senior year that my gpa dropped to a 93
- Not gotten depressed and had a holiday fiasco ( though I could hardly control that one)
- Hit freshman year running with a 99 GPA , so i could be ranked among the top 20 people in the class
- Done my science project junior year and gone to Catholic Forensic nationals in speech league sophmore year
- Enjoyed life. Not wasted my whole HSL existence studying and on CC. I’ve never been to a dance. Never had a chance to do so0mething crazy. I feel an overwhelming sense of waste.
- Joined Cross Country earlier- I loved it.
- Not cut out all my extracurrics senior year to focus on school
- been happier in HS.
- Studied for the SAt math well and taken the SAT once not thrice ( I took the SAt thrice with my see what happens attitude. I wish I had taken the SAts just once. Sure at the end of the day I still superscored a 2250-- but I could have done that all along)
problem there are more I have forgotten.
Study for the SAT. Probably would have made a difference in scholarship money.
Catch early scholarship deadlines. There are some good schools I really liked that I chose not to apply to because I discovered them after their full tuition/ride scholarship deadlines.
Don’t stress.
@Nil D.- Wow i feel exactly the same way
Start the application essays during the summer. The prompts don’t change that much.
I wish i didn’t wait until October of my senior year to actually start looking for colleges. Even though I pretty much had in mind where I wanted to apply, there are so many other great schools that i missed out on in my rush.
I also wish I didn’t stress as much over what I did not do in high school these past years. There’s really nothing you can do about what you lack at this point, so just make sure to emphasize what you have done.
Haha, I think this thread was supposed to be about how to consume time not worrying before decisions are out.
I’m taking more classes than usual and I’ve taken up writing. Unfortunately, I just moved, so I don’t have much else to do.
I’m reading a bunch of Class of 2014 decision threads of all the colleges that I applied, haha.
I am not really doing anything different. Just don’t think about April 1st too much.
I think about end-of-March/early-April all the time. Way too much.
I wish I had thought of compiling a montage of clips from my talk-show to send off as well. Wondering if it’s too late…
Ditto PrinceMuzic. I think about March 30th (my last online decision) way too frequently. Also, I check the mail obsessively every day, even though I know nothing will be there for 1 month +.
Looking for scholarships is a good way to spend the time.
If we are talking about regrets, I have none. No, I don’t have a perfect profile. 3.67. 1850 SAT. I slacked during junior year. Ya, oh well. Sucked at the time, but that’s over. My apps got sent. I got into the University of Oregon which is a top choice. I’m waiting on a few more, but at least I know I have a solid backup.
As far as waiting, I’ve kept my mind ON colleges. It consumes every day of my life. I love reading about each one. Seeing what I’ll like better.
Only big school I’m left waiting on is USC. Longshot, but we’ll see.