by Steven Tagle
College Application Checklist for Fall: Key Tasks for Parents and Students
Fall is crunch time for college applicants (and their parents). Early deadlines are just weeks away, and choices you make now will shape the rest of the application season.
September Priorities
- Lock in Your College List: Balance reach, match, and safety schools that fit your academic goals, culture, and budget.
- Refine Essays & Personal Statements: Tighten drafts and tailor them to specific schools’ prompts.
- Secure Recommendations: Confirm teachers/counselors and give them helpful background info.
- Prep for Early Action/Early Decision: Check transcript and test-score deadlines and any internal school requirements.
- Financial Aid Readiness: Create your FSA ID and review FAFSA/CSS Profile requirements before forms open October 1st.
- Schedule Campus Visits or Virtual Tours: Fall open houses help demonstrate interest and clarify fit.
October Priorities
- Submit Early Applications: Finalize Early Action/Early Decision forms well before November.
- Complete FAFSA & CSS Profile: File as soon as portals open to maximize aid opportunities.
- Request Test Score Reports: Ensure official SAT/ACT scores reach each college by their deadlines.
- Scholarship Hunt: Identify private scholarships and draft required essays.
- Organize Regular-Decision Materials: Build a system for tracking transcripts, test scores, and supplemental essays so December deadlines feel effortless.
Start Strong: Accepted’s Free Guides & Tools
- Tips for Answering the Common App Essay Prompts 2025-2026 – how to round out the picture of who you are, what’s important to you, and why
- Sample College Application Essays – four personal essays that helped launch students into top-tier schools
- Free College Guides – five downloadable titles dedicated to planning for college, crafting essays, showcasing leadership, and building your resume
- College Application Video Playlist – a curated list of Accepted’s best video tips for applying to college and standing out
A Stanford graduate and the recipient of prestigious fellowships from the Fulbright Program and the Institute of Current World Affairs, as well as a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, Steven Tagle has taught and mentored students for 20 years. As a published writer, journalist, and former speechwriter for the U.S. ambassador to Greece, he knows how to draw out applicants’ unique stories and craft compelling personal statements that help their applications stand out from the pack. Click here to get in touch.
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