Advice on Preparing Your Application for Final Submission
Hi! I’m Christina Lopez, Dean of Enrollment Management at Barnard College. As we enter the last few weeks before the Regular Decision deadline, you’re likely editing final drafts of your Personal Statement and Writing Supplements and sending friendly reminders to recommenders that letters are due in a matter of weeks. Congratulations — you’re almost there! Knowing how much effort you’ve already put into your college applications, I’d like to offer five tips to help get you closer to clicking ‘submit’ on the strongest possible finished application:
Share your Personal Statement with someone you trust who can provide open, honest feedback and can also help you make sure it is error-free. While you’ve surely heard this advice from multiple sources leading up to this point, it is absolutely crucial. You would be shocked by how many Personal Statements are submitted containing basic spelling and grammatical issues. And while it’s unlikely you’ll be making significant structural changes to your Personal Statement at this stage in the process, use the time you have remaining to make sure it answers the prompt and conveys your thoughts clearly and concisely. Once you’re done making edits, proofread — and proofread again!
Finished your Personal Statement? Excellent! Now get to work on perfecting your Writing Supplements. If you’re going to spend significant time on any one part of your application in the weeks leading up to the deadline, I strongly recommend you spend it here. Writing Supplements are one of your few key opportunities within the application to demonstrate to a college that you’ve done extensive research on the school and feel they’re the perfect fit for you. Strong Writing Supplements can take an application from ordinary to extraordinary — I simply cannot stress this enough. Your answers should be specific, thoughtful, and answer the prompt. Responses should never read as though they could easily have been written about another school. Seeking an additional resource to ensure your Writing Supplement responses are on the right track? I encourage you to request a recording of our Bold Series session that conducted a deep dive into the Barnard Writing Supplement.
Focus on the areas of your application where you can still make an impact versus items you cannot change. This close to the deadline, there are only a few sections that you can still strengthen within your application. Your academic history, test scores (if you choose to submit them), extracurriculars, and teacher recommendations are largely out of your hands at this point. Instead of worrying about these pieces, channel your energy into the aspects of your application that you can still change, such as your Personal Statement and Writing Supplements (sensing a theme here, perhaps?) — it’s a much better use of what precious little time you have remaining before the deadline.
Review and proofread each section of your Common Application or Coalition Application. While most of your proofreading efforts will ultimately be spent on your Personal Statement and Writing Supplements, don’t neglect even the more basic aspects of your application like your demographic information, extracurricular activities, and so forth. Have you entered all of the correct information in the right sections? Have you listed all of the extracurricular activities that you intended to list? Is everything spelled correctly and explained clearly? Admissions readers appreciate the extra effort you put into these sections to ensure they’re error-free.
Finally, submit your application and all of its components by the deadline! To be considered for Fall 2022 Regular Decision admission, please make sure to click ‘submit’ on your application, writing supplement, and any additional materials you may be submitting by January 4, 2022 at 11:59PM in your local time zone. Pro tip: submit your application before the deadline so you can enjoy some of your winter break! Submitting earlier will help reduce any anxiety that may ensue if you run into technical difficulties right around the deadline. Save yourself the panic of an 11:59PM internet malfunction on January 4th. Submit your application early!
Questions? We’re here to help! Email us at admissions@barnard.edu. Please be aware that our office will be closed during the winter recess — December 23rd through January 3rd — but we will be checking email during that time. Our office reopens Tuesday, January 4, 2022. I strongly encourage you not to wait until early January to reach out with questions. Contact us in the weeks leading up to winter recess so you are well equipped to meet the January 4th deadline. I’m looking forward to reading your application!