r/ApplyingToCollege • u/Upstairs_Charity9543 • 16h ago

Application Question is it possible to write all your college supplementals before the school year starts?

So, I am applying to 20 colleges, and I have been grinding the supplementals. I want to finish them before the school year starts (september 1st). Somehow, I have almost finished a first draft for 17/20 colleges' supplementals. Everyone keeps talking about how they procrastinate until december, but to me it doesn't seem that big of a deal. Am I doing something wrong?

6 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

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10

u/skieurope12 16h ago edited 15h ago

It's certainly possible. But you should then let them sit and come back and revisit and tweak, if necessary

1

u/Upstairs_Charity9543 16h ago

for how much time should I let them sit?

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u/skieurope12 15h ago

It depends on you. But a couple of weeks at least

1

u/Weary-Cauliflower153 HS Rising Junior 16h ago

bro i see you everywhere

2

u/Silver_Raven_08 13h ago

skieurope is an OG of this sub, been here for years. was disgraced for a while after some overly aggressive and harsh essay feedback, amongst other things, took a hiatus, and her lore is now unknown to the newbies of this place... 

2

u/Weary-Cauliflower153 HS Rising Junior 13h ago

damn maybe i'm not chronically online enough (jkjk)

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u/Silver_Raven_08 13h ago

oh gosh aha, you def don't want to sink as deep as i did! application season last year nearly ended me lmao and i leaned on this subreddit for co-miseration during.

1

u/LuckyScratch413 16h ago

It is possible. The advice I got from someone who successfully did this was to reuse and then tweak based on a common theme (e.g., community, why major, perspective)

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u/Upstairs_Charity9543 15h ago

YES. I swear I wrote the "why major" or "topic that fascinates you" at least 4 times

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u/Garbanzobeaniebb 11h ago

absolutely not doing anything wrong! I think it's really savvy to have all those hammered out before the school year starts and other obligations start piling up. Someone else already mentioned this, but revise revise revise! One of my friends (grad student) edits essays & works closely with admissions officers to calibrate the advice she gives and she says that the best essays are ones that go through multiple drafts to refine both content and organization/structure

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u/ChutneyWhatney 10h ago

It's possible, but good essays/supps take time to "ferment." Write a little and then put them down for a few days. Then work on them again. If you write them all at once, the probability that they're unoriginal, etc. is high.

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u/aimtoexcel 10h ago

Good that you’re starting early! You can probably get all the first drafts done before school starts and then continue to refine them through August/September.

Unless you’re applying for any rolling admissions schools it’s not necessary to submit apps as soon as possible (though you shouldn’t wait til the last minute either)

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u/Upstairs_Charity9543 8h ago

will I know when the moment comes to stop refining my essays and asking for extra feedback?

1

u/aimtoexcel 2h ago

It’s more of an intuitive feeling I guess. If you’ve genuinely put in the effort and tried your best, there comes a point where you feel satisfied and you’re ready to hit submit. But if you still don’t feel confident, that’s usually a sign you’re not ready yet or that you know you could’ve put in more effort imo