Brinda Ambal

What follows is my method of organization, with the obvious disclaimer that you should use whatever system works best for you.

College admissions is an increasingly complicated process, one with lots of moving parts that you’ll need to stay on top of. What follows is my method of organization, with the obvious disclaimer that you should use whatever system works best for you.

I’m a big Google Sheets guy, but even if you aren’t a fan of spreadsheets, I hope this article will at least give you an idea of what you need to keep track of. To begin, I added a separate row in my spreadsheet for each school I applied to, although you could flip the rows and columns if that’s what floats your boat. As an example, I’ll use my spreadsheet entry for Rice University, the school that I’ll be attending this fall.

Column A: School

Rice

I’ll provide brief comments about the purpose of each column below the italicized text.

Column B: My deadline

Jan. 1

This is the column with my personal deadline to apply. At USC, for example, the deadline this year was Jan. 15, but my personal deadline was Dec. 1 to be eligible for merit scholarships. 

Column C: Financial aid/scholarship deadline

CSS and FAFSA by Feb. 1

This column tells me which financial aid forms I need to send to Rice and how long I have to do so. I would also include any other financial aid or scholarships notes in this column. Additionally, note that I am including hyperlinks as needed so I can easily return to the relevant Rice information page.

Column D: Test scores

Self report

From my section on SAT/ACT scores: “If you plan on submitting test scores, check that school’s admissions website to find out how they accept test scores. Some require an official score report up front from the College Board or ACT, while others allow you to self-report scores on your application and verify them upon enrollment.”

Column E: Rec letters

2 core + 1 optional*

*Ask Borgs to send rec letter separately; “Supplemental recommendations must include the applicant’s full name, date of birth, or applicant ID and should be submitted through the application platform or to [email protected].”

The counseling department is clutch so I could just press a button on Naviance and have all of my transcript, counselor rec letter and school report requests processed at the same time. As for teacher rec letters, Rice wants two from core class teachers with the option to send an additional letter. Because Rice has an unusual process for sending an optional letter, I made note of that on my spreadsheet.

Column F: Interview?

Yes, request via portal

Interview policies vary from school to school. For Rice, students can request an optional interview — I took one whenever possible — through their online portal after applying.

For more on interviews, read here.

Column G: Demonstrated interest?

Considered; admissions events

Rice’s Common Data Set indicates that they track demonstrated interest. Thus, I signed up for a couple of admissions events through their website. As an aside, take advantage of virtual webinars to rack up easy demonstrated interest points.

Your next reads:

How are the “best college” rankings made? Not well.

Understanding the types of admissions plans

It’s all about fit: creating your college list (and deciding where to commit)

Column H: Supplementals

1) Please explain why you wish to study in the academic areas you selected above. (150)

2) Based upon your exploration of Rice University, what elements of the Rice experience appeal to you? (150)

3) Rice is lauded for creating a collaborative atmosphere that enhances the quality of life for all members of our campus community. The Residential College System and undergraduate life are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural tradition each student brings. What life perspectives would you contribute to the Rice community? (500)

4) In keeping with Rice’s long-standing tradition, please share an image of something that appeals to you. (N/A)

Like I mentioned in my supplemental essays section, writing out all of your essay prompts in one centralized location allows you to identify overlap between schools. This is especially valuable if you’re applying to many colleges. If you’re wondering what the numbers in parentheses are, those are the word limit for each prompt.

Column I: Other notes

Can report PSAT scores too

Any miscellaneous deadlines, notes, etc. would go here. For Rice, the only other note I wanted to make for myself was that they accept PSAT scores as well.