so you've submitted your UC College application, now what?

First of all, congratulations! You’ve submitted at least your first college application - maybe you still have more to go, or maybe you turned in everything at once. No matter where you’re at, you’re looking at a few months of limbo in between the time of submission to the time that you actually get results. So, what should you do in the meantime?

Check your email regularly:
​Generally, college admission decisions will come in the form of an email - whether it discusses your admit status through the body of the email itself, or it sends you to your individual portal with an “admission update,” you’ll want to make sure that you are seeing any important emails that come in. Oftentimes, colleges will ask for letters of recommendation or additional documents if needed, so you want to be prepared to answer them with a timely response. This will also be important so that you know any deadlines or cutoff dates for declaring your intent to register or reject their offer.

Finish your Common Application essays:
The Common Application generally entails a bit more than the UC Applications, mostly because some colleges require shorter supplemental questions in addition to their main Common App questions. See if there are parts of your UC Application that you can reuse (making sure to not include the wrong college’s name in your essay) - most college application prompts are generally asking the same thing, so you can use the ones you’ve already written as practice! And, our team is here to help!

Apply to Scholarships!
Whether they be based on merit or need, or be associated with your university or not, scholarships can be incredibly useful for paying for college. Many that you can apply to only require a written submission, and they can range from a couple hundred dollars, to thousands of dollars. Education is expensive, and every penny helps. Try browsing college websites to see what scholarships they offer, or do your own research! I always found some good options through niche.com.

Check out this blog by SHCC Consultant Katia about starting your scholarship search: www.shcollegeconsulting.com/our-advice-blog/starting-your-scholarship-search

Prepare to brainstorm your LOCI (Letter of Continued Interest):
This can be a difficult step to jump into right after submitting your application - however, it could benefit you in the long run to start thinking about a scenario in which you were waitlisted, and what you would say if you had a chance to change their minds. What should you keep track of in the next few months so that when it comes time for you to write your LOCI, you feel more prepared? How are you going to better yourself over the next few months (for the sake of your own development primarily), but also so that you can reflect on how you’ve grown when it comes time to reevaluating your fit with those schools? Our team also offers in depth reviews on these LOCIs, so we can show you the basics, share our strategies, and set you up for success if that time comes.

Do not contact the admissions office unless needed/requested:
After you’ve submitted your application, let the admissions representatives do their jobs and evaluate your application on an equal basis as everyone else. Feel confident! You’ve prepared yourself for this moment, and you’ve done all that you can to make your application speak truly about who you are. Calling the admissions office will not help your chances of being admitted. In all honesty, submitting documents and making calls that are not requested may only hurt your chances - so let it be!

Think about summer:
Start thinking about how you might want to fill your time between high school and college. Are you looking for a job/internship? Are you going to head off to your yearly summer camp for the last time? Are you enjoying a much needed trip with your friends or family? Are you going to start your own passion project to fill your time? Whatever it may be, focus on taking this time to better yourself: whether that means making lifelong memories or learning new skills, use your summer to do more than just hang around waiting for college. However, do make sure that you take some much needed time to relax.

Last of all, enjoy your last semester in high school - it will fly past you before you know it, and soon you’ll be on to a whole new life in college. For now, think of these next few months as a fun limbo period - where you get to enjoy high school and the friends you’ve made along the way, without knowing what your futures may hold. Enjoy the excitement of possibility!

SARAH

Sarah is a Consultant and Social Media Marketing Manager on the Study Hall College Consulting Team. Sarah graduated from UC Berkeley in the class of 2020 where she majored in Architecture and minored in Spanish Language and Literature. For more college application and essay tips, check out our Study Hall College Consulting website at: shcollegeconsulting.com.