Some of the most heartbreaking conversations I have are with students who aren’t offered admission due to their application or a piece of their application coming in late. If you’re going to be applying for college admission this fall, take note now and make a plan so that your college applications are all on time.

While everyone will have their own system, here are a few tips and ideas.

1) I recommend getting a large wall calendar so that you can place all your applications deadlines in one place. Some students also like to keep their calendars in a shared family space so that their parents can help. 

2) Remember to get all the official deadlines for every school to which you’re applying. In addition to the admissions application deadline, don’t forget to make note of any additional deadlines such as financial aid, scholarships, honors programs and housing.

For freshman applicants applying to UT for fall 2010, the deadlines include:

Scholarship application deadline: December 1, 2009

Admissions application deadline: December 15, 2009

Honors application deadline: December 15, 2009
(some honors programs have earlier priority deadlines)

Financial Aid/FAFSA deadline (recommended): March 31, 2010

3) Now that you have the official deadlines, make your own deadlines. For example, since UT’s admissions application deadline is December 15^th and the scholarship deadline is December 1^st, why not give yourself a personal deadline for both of November 15^th.

Your personal deadline should prevent you from waiting until the last minute, and it will also give you some buffer time to ensure that your application is on time. The check – or the essay, the application, or the transcript in this case – is in the mail doesn’t work in the case of college applications. Don’t just drop your essays in the mail, ask your parents to pay the application fee, or submit a high school transcript request to your counselor and walk away. It’s your responsibility to ensure that all pieces of your application are received on time, even those submitted by other people such as your official high school transcript and test scores. Double check and make sure that you leave time to do so.

Don’t let a late application determine your admission decision; give your application the chance to speak for itself!

Wendy is northeast regional director for the Office of Admissions. She is an official link to UT for students in the Northeast U.S. and helps students by sharing her experiences as both a UT student and a UT alumna. You can find out more about Wendy by reading her counselor profile.