We are about a month away from most January deadlines. Have you started your essays and written applications yet? Not to panic anyone, but it is definitely time to finalize your school selection and start writing. At this point, you have hopefully come up with your list of target schools and honestly assessed your strengths and weaknesses within the pool. Ideally, you have also had time to prepare your recommenders and to think through your story so that you can convey it strategically and coherently.
Once you are at this point, I suggest creating a schedule that has you completing the entire application, including short answers and demographic information, at least 3 full days before the deadline. It ALWAYS takes longer than you think to really polish and reflect, and you don’t want to rush through the written application. Typos are bad, as are careless omissions that you would have caught, given more time. After all of the time, thought, effort and money that you have invested getting ready to apply to school, it would be unfortunate to take yourself out of the running by rushing through the essays and application.
So, what do you do if you are feeling a touch behind? It is not in any way too late to create and submit a fantastic application, but it is time to get seriously focused. I would be happy to help you through the home stretch, when it can be crucial to have an objective reviewer to give feedback and help you to reach your goals.
