Edit wiki/starting-applications-too-late.md — Rookie Mistakes & Gotchas

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# starting applications too late

*(common gotcha)*

## what happened

students think they have plenty of time, then realize in November that they have 12 supplemental essays due in 3 weeks. the essays come out rushed, generic, and full of errors.

## why it's a gotcha

college apps are a volume problem. the main essay is one thing, but supplements for 10+ schools can easily be 20-30 short essays. that's a lot of writing, and quality drops fast under time pressure. rushing is what leads directly to [[naming-wrong-school-in-essay|naming the wrong school in your essay]].

## the fix

start writing supplements the summer before senior year. most prompts are recycled from previous years, so you can draft early even before the official prompts drop. don't forget that [[missing-fafsa-deadlines|financial aid deadlines]] are often even earlier than admission deadlines. ironically, some students spend all their time in the [[over-planning-trap|over-planning trap]] on other projects while neglecting apps. and starting late is what puts you in the position of [[submitting-right-at-the-deadline|submitting right at the deadline]].