Students who still have five or more applications to complete by January 1 won’t have such a relaxing break. Some students need the adrenaline rush of a tight deadline to perform at their best.  Others have been avoiding their college applications because of fear.  There is fear of failure.  If I don’t finish the applications, I won’t get rejected.  And fear of success.  If I’m accepted, I have to leave home and everyone I know.

Whatever the reasons for the procrastination, at this point, students who have not worked on college applications are likely to feel overwhelmed.  The best way to deal with that feeling is to make a plan, with small, attainable goals every day.

Organization is crucial, especially when you are working with tight deadlines.  The first step is making a list of all the application tasks you need to complete.  Start with the things that are easy to do, like sending test scores and filling out the basic information in the Common Application.  Finishing just one task will give you a feeling of accomplishment and begin to generate a sense of momentum.  Once you are working and getting things done, the anxiety will dissipate.

Create your own deadline for each application, and make a detailed daily schedule, with time allotted for all the tasks you will complete each day.  Knowing that you will work on your short answer about an activity for the Common Application from 9:00 to 10:00, and your NYU supplement from 10 to 11:30 gives you a structure.  You won’t waste time thinking about what to do next if you have a detailed schedule.

Essays are the most time-consuming part of college applications.  Print out all the essay prompts so that you can see where you will be able to recycle or modify essays.  You may not need to write as many essays as you think.  Break the essay writing process down into manageable parts.  First task is to brainstorm a list of ideas for the essay prompt.  Next, choose one or two ideas that seem promising and flesh them out a bit.  Choose the idea that you are most excited about writing, as your enthusiasm will propel you through the work and make the essay more interesting for admissions officers.  If the prospect of writing a full draft is intimidating, try brainstorming the ideas you want to include in the essay, and then put those thoughts into a logical order, perhaps in bullet points.  Once you have those bullet points, it should be easy to expand them into sentences and paragraphs, and you have your first draft.

Some students are paralyzed by the fear of perfection.  Remember that the first draft is not supposed to be perfect.  The goal is just to get your ideas on paper.  Essays take shape in the rewriting process.  But for now, put your first draft aside and go through the same process for the next essay.  Then you can go back and rewrite your first essay.  Most essays require at least three or four drafts.  That may sound impossible when you don’t have much time, but the first draft is the most time-consuming.  Subsequent drafts go much more quickly.

You want to submit the strongest applications.  Focusing on the task is crucial.  That means eliminating all distractions.  No video games, Facebook or texting while you are working.  This is a huge challenge for most students, who believe they can multi-task.  You probably don’t do it as well as you think.  Make sure you have a quiet, uncluttered space for working on applications.  Put the phone in another room. You can check it when you break for lunch.

Getting started is the hardest part.  You will pick up momentum as you work.  Remember that this will be over in a few weeks.  Think about how great it will feel to have all your college applications done.

Not all colleges had more early applications. Yale saw an 18 percent decrease in Early Action applications, which is probably because Harvard offered an Early Action option this year, and these schools don’t allow students to apply early to other colleges.  The new Harvard early option probably also accounts for modest decreases in Early Decision applications at Columbia and University of Pennsylvania.  But all of these schools may see increases in Regular Decision applications.  Students need to submit their strongest applications.

That’s why it’s important to keep working throughout this month.  Getting a rejection in mid-December can be a crushing disappointment, and it is very hard to recover from that emotional blow and do your best work on seven other applications when you have just two weeks till the early January deadlines.  While it may be difficult to push yourself to work on applications now while you’re waiting to get into your favorite college, it will be much harder after a rejection.  If you have finished your other applications and you are denied or deferred by your early school, you will be very relieved that your applications are ready to submit.  Best case scenario is that you are accepted at your early school, and in that case you will be so excited that you won’t care about the unnecessary work you did on other applications.

Students who did not submit early applications really have no reason to wait, and if they haven’t completed an application yet, it’s especially important to get started.  In addition to writing essays, you need to complete the activities/community service/work experience section, and you want to write those descriptions concisely and accurately.  Admissions officers appreciate an application that is clear and easy to read.  Print out the application so you can proofread it.  You may find that some of your activity descriptions are cut off, requiring you to rewrite them.  All of this takes time.  Add the stress of rushing to finish seven supplements in the last few days and you are more likely to make mistakes.  You also risk your computer or the server crashing, or a winter storm that knocks out your electricity right before the application deadline.  

Once you submit the Common Application to one school, you cannot make changes to that application.  If you applied Early Decision/Early Action and now want update your awards, activities or test scores, or would like to tailor your application to one college, you can create an alternate version.  After you log in, go to the Instructions page and scroll down to “Application Versions” for step by step instructions.  The alternate version will have all the information from your first version and you can edit as you wish.  However, any documents you uploaded will not transfer to the alternate version, so be sure to upload your essay to the alternate version.

Remember that with the Common Application you need to submit the application, supplement and payment separately.  Students sometimes think that once they submit payment, the application automatically follows.  Since it can take up to 48 hours for your payment to be processed, waiting until the day of a deadline means your application might not be submitted in time.  Check the My Colleges page to confirm that your applications have been submitted.  You can also see if your counselor and teacher have submitted their forms.

If you have questions as you’re working on the Common Application, the “Help” button at the top of the Common Application will take you to the Applicant Support Center.  If you don’t find the answer to your question there, you can contact technical support.

Admissions officers will be offering local information sessions and visiting high schools throughout the fall. Check with your school’s college counseling center for a schedule of college visits.  Prepare questions to ask about the college, ask for a business card and follow up with an email thanking the admissions officer for visiting. It’s also a good idea to mention something the representative told you about the college that resonated with you.

Many colleges have special programs for prospective freshmen during the fall, so if you haven’t visited the schools on your list, you might want to plan on seeing some of them in the next couple months. If you can sit in on a class or two, even spend the night in a dorm, you’ll know if it’s a place you can really see yourself. Visiting a college can also enhance your application, as you are demonstrating interest, and you’ll be knowledgeable enough to write a more compelling “Why are you applying to our school?” supplemental essay.

Some colleges have changed early application options this year. A number of schools have established earlier deadlines, which allows more time for admissions officers to review applications. Being able to notify students earlier can also help win over students who may invest emotionally in that college before hearing from other schools.

If you plan to apply Early Action to University of North Carolina, you need to know that the deadline has been moved up to October 15. Harvard and Princeton have added a new Single Choice Early Action option, with a November 1 deadline. University of Virginia will offer a new Early Action option, with a November 1 deadline. University of Rochester has added an Early Notification option, with a December 1 deadline.

A number of schools have earlier deadlines for scholarships or honors programs. For example, University of Southern California has a January 10 application deadline, but if you want to be considered for scholarships, you need to apply by December 1. Some public universities have November 1 priority deadlines for scholarship or honors program consideration.

If you are applying to colleges that use the Common Application, you will find a helpful grid that includes application requirements and deadlines for all members: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/MemberRequirements.aspx.

Check with each college on your list to make sure you have accurate information about application and financial aid deadlines.  

If you plan to submit early applications, it’s especially important to get started on your essays so that you have time to complete several drafts. You need to build time into your schedule for weeks when you have too much schoolwork to even look at a college application.

If you are applying to Common App schools, or other colleges that require teacher recommendations, be sure to ask your teacher in the next few weeks, especially if you need the letter for a November 1 early application deadline. 

A calendar with all of your deadlines will be extremely helpful. Include registration deadlines and test dates for any final SAT, ACT or Subject Tests. In addition to official application deadlines for each college, create your own deadline for each application at least a week or two before the real deadline.

You are more likely to make mistakes if you’re racing against the clock when proofreading an application. If that’s not enough to motivate you to finish your applications early, how about the fact that some schools require you to pay the application fee before you can submit the application? Since it can take a day or two to process your credit card payment, this is not something you want to be doing five minutes before midnight on the deadline date.

Most private colleges, and some public universities, will ask for a midyear report, which includes your fall semester grades. This will be the final piece of the application, and you want your grades to be as strong as possible.

While you can’t fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) until January, you can learn about the financial aid process at www.finaid.org. If you plan to apply for scholarships not awarded directly by colleges, be sure to register with www.fastweb.com or another scholarship search engine. 

Make a schedule for application tasks so that you know exactly what you need to do each week. This process will be much less stressful if you start now and pace yourself.

There are a number of changes this year which will impact the college application process. University of Southern California has joined the Common Application. The good news is students won’t have to complete a separate USC application (although there will still be a USC supplement). The not so good news is that applications are likely to increase, resulting in a lower acceptance rate.

University of California will no longer require scores from two Subject Tests. That doesn’t mean you should forget about Subject Tests, since strong scores will enhance your UC application, and they could be important if you are applying to certain programs, including engineering. Subject Tests are still required or recommended at a number of highly selective colleges.

While UC, California State University and many other public colleges don’t require recommendations, you will need a teacher recommendation for any school using the Common Application. Teachers can be overwhelmed with requests, and some limit the number of letters they will write, so be sure to ask your teacher early in the school year.

The Common Application is online now. Start filling out the basic information like name, address and high school. There’s something very satisfying about finishing at least part of the application, and once you are in application mode, it may be easier to get into the essays.

While the UC and Cal State applications won’t open until October 1, the UC personal statement prompts are available now at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/personal-statement/index.html. 

Your goal in an application essay is to convey something you want admissions officers to know about you that they won’t learn from the rest of the application. You may need to go through several ideas before you find one that works. Keep brainstorming until you’re excited, because if you’re excited about writing an essay, it’s more likely to be exciting for the reader.

It helps to break the process into manageable parts. For each essay you might schedule several days for brainstorming ideas, a week to write a first draft, and another week to revise the first draft.  I tell my students that essays don’t take shape until the third, fourth or even fifth draft. This process takes time and that’s why you need to start now.

Give yourself a final deadline for each application that is at least one week and preferably two weeks before the real deadline, so that you have built in some extra time in case you get off schedule because of a major test or paper. Having your applications completed well before deadlines will mean less stress for everyone in the family.

Students sometimes lose sight of the fact that colleges are academic institutions, and they are looking for people who love to learn. Someone whose idea of fun is discussing Kant’s moral philosophy will take full advantage of the opportunities for intellectual engagement in college. When admissions officers read an application from a student who has demonstrated this kind of love of learning by pursuing opportunities beyond her high school classroom, they know she will benefit from attending their school.

Many students have taken years of piano lessons, but one of my students is so passionate about music that she also led monthly workshops to study composers, because she believed that learning about their personal history would help her understand their music. She attended music festivals and entered competitions, where she embraced new musical perspectives. She wrote poetically about her love of music, and was accepted at several highly selective colleges because admissions officers understood that she will be committed to learning from professors and peers.

Admissions officers make assumptions about what you will contribute to their college based on what you have contributed to your high school or community. The more selective the college, the greater the impact your contribution needs to have in order to stand out. While tutoring children in a shelter for homeless families is certainly a valuable contribution, organizing a program to match every child with a mentor, recruiting other students to participate, and expanding that program to other shelters would have the kind of impact that stands out.

If the activities you pursue have a theme, you can focus your application on that theme, which helps admissions officers get a clear picture of your values and interests. When an aspiring anthropologist has volunteered every Saturday at a museum, taken anthropology classes at community college, and spent a summer on an archaeological dig, he will be able to put together a cohesive and compelling application.

But not everyone has a defining intellectual or career interest, and students shouldn’t feel pressured to choose one area to pursue in depth just because it will look good on applications. In fact, balancing a scientific or technical side with an interest in something artistic is another way to stand out. A young woman who loves science and wants to major in physics, but also writes poetry that she reads at a local coffeehouse would be very interesting to admissions officers.

Summer is a good time to explore your interests by getting involved in community service or research opportunities. If you can’t find an established program, try creating your own.

For example, a student who is on his school’s basketball team might combine his love of the sport with community service by volunteering to coach or organizing a program for children at a recreation center.

One of my students found a scientist who was doing research that sounded interesting, so she arranged to meet him. She ended up volunteering in the lab and enjoyed it so much that after spending much of the summer there, she decided to continue volunteering during the school year.

Find something you love to do and any impact it may have on your college applications will just be a bonus.

When you look at the numbers, it seems like we’re in for another very tough year. Some highly selective private schools have been reporting significant increases in applications.

Applications are up 15% at Harvard, and the admit rate will likely fall from last year’s record 6.9% to a new low of 6%. Yale is also having another record year, with applications up 5% over last year.

With more than 30,000 applications, Northwestern is up 11% this year, but what’s even more daunting is the fact that this is double the number of applications the school received just five years ago.

My alma mater, University of Pennsylvania, has also crossed the 30,000 mark this year, with applications up 14% over last year.

New York City remains a popular destination. Columbia’s applications are up a whopping 32% this year. Applications increased more than 11% at NYU.

But rural New Hampshire is also drawing students. Dartmouth’s applications are up 16% this year, and California is now the most represented state.

Duke is up 10% over last year, and the school’s applications have risen 50% in the last three years.

In California, applications are up almost 7% at Stanford and more than 6% at USC.

The increases are not limited to the most elite schools or to schools of a particular size. Applications are up more than 13% at Northeastern University, perhaps in part because students concerned about job prospects after college appreciate the school’s co-op program, which provides work experience that enhances resumes.  

American University’s new test optional program may have contributed to the 10% increase in applications at that school.

Some small liberal arts colleges saw big gains, including a 22% increase in applications at Colby and a 28% increase at Dickinson.

Of course, not every school received more applications this year. Tulane’s applications are down 13%. Colgate and Cornell had small decreases in applications.

And since much of the increase in applications can be attributed to anxious students applying to more schools, colleges may end up accepting additional students from waitlists when students who have multiple acceptances choose other schools.

On the public side, despite concerns about budget cuts impacting the quality of education at public colleges in California, the University of California has received 6% more applications this year, with some campuses reporting double-digit gains. Freshman applications are up 11% at San Diego, close to 8% at UCLA, 6% at Davis, and roughly 5 percent at Berkeley and Santa Barbara. Irvine and Santa Cruz had more modest increases in freshman applications. With continuing budget problems, UC won’t be able to admit larger freshman classes this year, so competition for admission will be intense.

Much of the increase at UC was driven by applications from high school students outside of California. Applications from in-state students were up 3.6 percent over last year. Freshman applications from international students were up by almost 23 percent over last year, and out-of-state freshman applications climbed nearly 11 percent. These numbers are in response to a new push by UC to recruit nonresident students, who pay much higher tuition.

The good news is that while there may be more competition for students applying to UC, public universities in other states that are also experiencing budget problems are recruiting out of state students as well, creating opportunities around the country. Honors programs at some public universities can offer the small classes, personal attention and sense of community of a small, liberal arts college. Many of these schools offer merit scholarships to out of state students, which can bring the cost down considerably. Some schools lock in tuition for four years, so families can plan on relatively stable costs, though room and board will still go up each year.

So when April comes around, and you read about the record low acceptance rates at colleges, don’t panic. As the admissions officers at yesterday’s meeting made clear, there are many great schools that remain accessible and affordable.

Schools that offer the binding early decision plan also saw substantial increases in applications. University of Pennsylvania had an 18 percent increase in early decision applications this year, and the admit rate dropped from 31 to 26 percent. Duke received 13 percent more early decision applications. Northwestern had a whopping 26 percent increase and Vanderbilt’s early decision applications were up more than 30 percent. While these elite schools promise to meet full financial need, even schools that do not guarantee to meet full need, like Brandeis and George Washington, received more early decision applications. But not all early decision schools saw their numbers go up. Brown and Cornell had small decreases in their early decision applications.

There are several likely reasons for the increasing popularity of early admission programs. Early action applicants can have an acceptance before winter break, which lowers stress. Early decision acceptance rates are higher at some colleges, which may fill more than a third of the freshman class early. Students who are hoping to get into the most selective schools feel pressure to apply early, even before they have thoroughly researched colleges, because they don’t want to miss out on the admissions edge they could get by applying early decision. Families see a diploma from an elite school as job insurance, and are often willing to commit to one of these expensive schools. More generous financial aid policies at the most selective schools enable needy students to apply without worrying about comparing financial aid packages. 

There are benefits for colleges too. Admissions officers lock in a healthy percentage of the freshman class and don’t risk losing top students to other colleges. They see students who apply early decision as excited about attending the college and likely to contribute to campus life.

But there are other reasons for the high ED admit rates, including the fact that the early decision applicant pool is stronger. These are the most motivated students, who often have strong transcripts and test scores as well as impressive extracurricular accomplishments. Recruited athletes are also in the early pool, and there may be a good number of legacy applicants, and both of these groups can boost acceptance rates. 

While applying ED can be helpful, it does not guarantee that you will have better prospects for admission. Sometimes it makes more sense to take the SAT or ACT one last time, earn top grades during fall semester and apply regular decision.

Juniors who want to apply early should start preparing now. That includes setting up a standardized testing schedule and earning the best possible grades this year. Winter break is a good time to think about what you want in a college and to research the schools that seem interesting. Once you have a list of schools that you would like to visit, you can plan a college tour for spring break. If you find one school that you love, you will be ready to apply early.

As we read the applications, the Berkeley admissions officer pointed out how a student could demonstrate leadership in untraditional ways. One student was given credit for leadership because she transformed her baking hobby into a mini-business filling orders for friends and family. For another student, serving as an aide in a special education classroom and tutoring students in an educational program for disadvantaged students were seen as evidence of leadership. You don’t need to be president of your class to show leadership qualities. It’s not about your title, but what you contribute to your school or community.  If you are responsible for organizing a fundraising drive, that could be evidence of leadership. But even if you don’t have leadership to write about, readers will consider significant time spent in extracurricular activities, community service or employment.

Students should use the additional information section of the application to answer any questions the rest of the application could raise. For example, you might need to explain that you had to choose between two AP classes that were offered at the same time, or why your grades dipped at the start of junior year when your family was going through a divorce.

At any highly selective university, students need to stand out in their applications. Several weeks ago I had breakfast with admissions officers from Harvard, Princeton, and University of Virginia. I asked for examples of students who had stood out in positive and negative ways. The positive example was a young woman whose writing was so strong that the admissions officer predicted she would win a Pulitzer Prize. That is what it takes to impress admissions officers at Ivy League schools. What does not impress admissions officers at any college is when students try to make an application stand out by shocking the reader. It may seem ridiculous to have to tell students not to write about bodily functions in an application essay, but when the admissions officer at the most prestigious school in the country says she is seeing those essays, it’s time to get the word out. Judgment and likeability are factor in admission decisions.

I do think it’s important to apply to more than one college, because even if you know you will get into your favorite school, your preferences and your family’s financial situation could change during the year, and you want to be sure to have choices in the spring. But some students and parents get nervous if they haven’t submitted at least twelve applications, especially when they hear about other students who are applying to 15 schools. The anxiety and feeling of competition leads them to apply to additional colleges that they are not seriously considering, resulting in extra work for students and admissions officers, hundreds of dollars in unnecessary application fees, and more stress for everyone. In fact, a student could end up sabotaging her admission prospects by rushing to complete so many applications that she doesn’t take the time to tailor each application to a particular college. It’s very difficult to prepare 15 excellent applications. You are better off focusing your energy and submitting fewer, thoughtfully prepared applications.

While it is essential to include some highly likely schools, the exact ratio of reach to highly likely schools depends on a number of factors, including your tolerance for rejection. If you dread the prospect of numerous rejections, apply to more highly likely and 50/50 schools, with just one or two reach schools that you just have to try for because if you didn’t apply you would always wonder if you would have been admitted.

Once you have finalized your list of colleges, it’s time to make a schedule. It is important to submit your best application, and that takes time. Essays often take shape in the third or fourth draft, and putting an essay aside for a week allows you to come back to it with fresh perspective.

Applying to college would be simpler if there was one deadline for all colleges. But each school sets its own application deadline, and many schools have more than one deadline. Some colleges offer Early Decision or Early Action, where students apply early, often by November, and receive a decision by late December. Early Decision is binding, so if the college accepts you, you are obligated to attend. If you apply Early Action, you can still apply to other schools and wait until the May 1 notification deadline to decide on a college.

But these aren’t the only deadlines. Some schools have earlier deadlines for students who are submitting an art portfolio or who need to schedule an audition for a music, theater or dance program. Some colleges have early deadlines, as well as additional applications, for priority scholarship consideration or for honors programs.

Many public and some private universities use rolling admission, and if you are applying to any of these schools, you can get a decision within six to eight weeks. Having an acceptance before winter break makes for a much more pleasant holiday season for the whole family. Some of these schools also allow you to apply for housing once you have an acceptance, and that could mean getting your preferred housing choice.

Applying to college is a lot of work and pacing is crucial. Find a way to keep track of all the deadlines that works for you. It can also be helpful to give yourself a deadline a couple weeks before each school’s official deadline, so that you are sure to get the applications finished in time. This is a good project for students and parents to work on together. While students are ultimately responsible for completing their college applications, the amount of work can feel overwhelming, and if parents can help with the organizational tasks, that can make the process less stressful for everyone.

Four campuses – Davis, Irvine, Merced and Santa Barbara – will again guarantee admission to students who are Eligible in Local Context (ELC). Students who are in the top four percent of their class will be notified of their ELC status in the next month.

Students who want to try the SAT or ACT again can take the tests as late as December. You only need to send scores to one UC campus and they will be available to other campuses.  

Most UC campuses will use waitlists again this year to manage enrollment, though only Davis and Santa Barbara actually took students from the waitlist last year.

While students who will be applying to enter UC in 2012 (current juniors) won’t be required to submit Subject Test scores, some campuses may recommend Subject Tests for students applying to certain majors. For example, engineering schools are likely to recommend the Math 2 exam.

The average cost of attendance at UC this year is $29,450.  While this is still less than the sticker price of most private colleges, merit scholarships can reduce the difference. Families that can afford it may find that the personal attention at a small college is worth the additional expense, especially for students who thrive in a more nurturing environment.