Applications: Summer work or not?

Help! My mother wants me to spend my ENTIRE summer working on my college applications!!!!!

I have heard this cry from more than one student. I'd love to tell you that your mom is completely off her rocker but she's not.

What she's right about: You should work on your applications during the summer before senior year.

What she's wrong about: It won't take the whole summer.

Most schools in the United States take the Common Application. The rest take the Coalition Application. There are still a few, like Georgetown, that only take their own application. The Common and Coalition apps typically "roll over" from one year to the next. This means that they maintain the same student accounts and essay questions. Rising seniors can fill out the Common or Coalition as early as spring of 2020. They can also write their main admissions essay for the Common App. Most colleges and universities update the admissions requirements on their websites and their supplemental writing requirements in late July/early August. This means that you can complete your app and write your main essay in late spring / early summer but it is best to wait until August to work on the school specific questions and writing requirements for each school on your list.