You hit the "submit" button and you receive your Congratulations message, acknowledging completion of your application. You stare at the screen and feel a huge sense of accomplishment and weight lifted off of your shoulders because the applications are on their way. Now begins the waiting game, which seems painfully long, but even more so for this generation of college applicants who are used to instant gratification and feedback. While you may be compelled to do even more to state your case and prove your worth at your dream school, do not. Here are some Dos and Don'ts as you await your fate at Your Dream University:
1) Do schedule campus visits at schools you have not yet visited. This shows your continued interest in the school even after you have submitted your application. If the school allows you to request an admissions or alumni interview, absolutely schedule one.
2) Do reach out to any student admissions ambassadors that colleges have listed on their websites. They typically have mini profiles giving you a bit of their background information and interests - find one that reminds you of yourself and come up with a few good questions to ask then about their college experience.
3) Do check the status of your application materials to make sure that all of the required supplemental pieces have been received. If the school requires official test scores to complete the review of your application, make sure those have been submitted. If you do not see that the recommendations have been submitted, politely follow up with your references to confirm that they received the electronic reference form and notification of successful submission once they completed it.
1) Don't reach out to the admissions office to provide additional accolades or tell them how much you want to be a student at their school. You absolutely can contact them if you have questions about the school that they are best served to answer - just check the school website first to make sure the information isn't readily available.
2) Don't check your application status incessantly once everything has been received. I promise you will be notified once your status changes and a decision has been made on your application. It will only make you crazy to "refresh, refresh" :)
3) Don't worry about what is happening with your friends' college applications. This is a hard one, I realize. Everyone is applying to different schools at different times depending on the deadlines they are trying to meet. You may be done submitting the bulk of your applications and your classmates may be targeting regular decision deadlines after winter break. Worry about yourself and be supportive to your friends. Don't stress out about what other people are doing.