#study success

Productivity & Focus Hacks you can use as a student

Since the theme for any university application is TIME MANAGEMENT, here is an outline of the US University application timeline: when to start writing, when to submit, and more. Enjoy!

(NOTE: I’ll be referencing to the CommonApp only in this post, not the Coalition or Questbridge. I’ll also be referencing to the A-level timeline. And will be sharing from an International student perspective, not a US student)

(NOTE: I didn’t include UC timelines because I didn’t apply to any of them, so I don’t know any helpful tips I can give on that)

1. CommonApp Essay

Since the CommonApp prompts generally stay the same every year, I’d recommend to start writing for your essay by the summer of Grade 11 (UK Year 12). Choose a couple prompts (3-4) you think you’ve got a good story on, including the “free” prompt, should you choose to do it.

Start reading online examples of successful students for your chosen prompts, and the study the delivery of each essay. Imagine yourself the admissions officer, and ask yourself what each essay shows through writing. 

Remember, delivery is most important in your essays. Not everyone can read your mind or understand exactly what you’re trying to convey if you write vaguely. Show traits that make you a valuable student: perhaps you had organised a charity for a friend with cancer (compassion, leadership), or you began a donation box to start feeding the stray cats in your neighborhood (leadership, teamwork), you vocalised your concerns about your friends’ actions (honesty, courage), etc. 

2. Taking the SAT/ACT

I’d recommend taking the SAT/ACT in the second semester of Grade 11 (Year 12), just to get it over with, or if you get a low score, give enough breathing room for you to retake it. 

I did my SAT in my first semester of my senior year, near my midterms, and while I did get the privilege to study for it for longer, I wouldn’t recommend it, because it was a struggle to balance both the SAT and midterms (which are important for US university applications)

3. Early Action v. Early Decision

The deadlines for these two typically fall around the end of October, results come out by December. 

I personally think that in any case you should at least apply for an Early Action school (if there is no Early Decision school you’re already looking at). 

Why? Because it’ll give you an opportunity to make mistakes. 

That sounds quite bad, to be honest, but I had applied Early Action to a very reputable university, and realised made a bunch of mistakes throughout the essay writing, the additional information section, and even during the interview. 

Mistakes in the sense that my delivery wasn’t how I’d wanted it to go, or there may have been parts where I sounded too desperate, and so on. 

I definitely spruced things up by the Regular Decision round: sounding more confident, having more clarity in my answers, showing curiosity and interest rather than desperation. 

4. Priority Filling

When I wrote most of supplemental essays, I did so a couple weeks near the deadline, where, then, I had only noticed the priority filling dates (e.g. Duke University). 

This was a mistake on my part, and I was definitely procrastinating the writing process. 

In another post, I wrote about how you should tackle the supplemental essays, and I’d definitely recommend to start doing supplemental essays the moment universities officially release the prompts for your application cycle. 

If you send in your application before the priority filling dates, or at least a week or two before the deadline, you’ll get a better chance for an interview. 

While, interviews don’t matter as much, there’s only so much we can show in our essays, and a good recommendation from an interviewer will definitely add character into your application. 

NOTE: Official Regular Decision typically fall around the beginning of January.

5. CSS Profile or Any Other FINANCIAL AID FORMS

If you’re applying for financial aid as an international student, there are definitely many pros and cons to weigh. Whether it be a diminished acceptance probability, or the fact that there would be a mountain of paper work to fill in, that’s your choice and your family’s choice to decide. 

Anyways, most likely, the form you’ll be filling in is the CSS Profile. The profile opens in October and I’d recommend to immediately start filling in what you can. I’m not sure when you’ll be reading this post, but in 2021, the profile was incredibly tedious and long, so I’d recommend to fill in what you can ahead of time, and submit alongside your applications. 

After submitting your CSS Profile, however, the job isn’t done. Some schools will ask for additional information (UPenn, Williams, etc.), and SOME SCHOOLS MIGHT NOT USE THE CSS PROFILE, and have their own system (Princeton). So, make sure to check each of your university portals and list down all the additional documents they’re asking for, get it done asap, and don’t procrastinate!

NOTE: CSS Profile deadlines vary greatly from university to university, with some deadlines being in Early January (Regular Decision) to Early February (Regular Decision). 

I thought to write down the “script” to one of my most viewed videos, with 40 study tips & tricks. It’s easier to read them and pass on the word!

Organization Tips:

1. Incorporate homework and classes in you daily planner – that will give you an overall glimpse of how your week will be about and how much time you need to spend in your studying sessions!

2. Color coordinate classes – be it notes, your planner, your textbooks or binders, pick a unique color for each class and work around the hues of that color to get more organized!

3. Make your own syllabus – if your professor doesn’t provide a syllabus for your class, try to make one before the school year working around your given textbooks or other given material.

4. Make study guides – make a study guide from your syllabus and draw before each topic two boxes: one for a midtest and one for the final test. When you have one of these tests, check the boxes when you’ve finished studying the chapter so you won’t miss anything!

5. Reference your material throughout – most of the times, we students work with in-class notes, textbooks and a syllabus. Since we get small bits of information here and there it’s important to reference every page throughout all your material so you can quickly access your information without having to flip endlessly through pages!