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Early Decision and Early Action deadlines have for the most part come and gone!

Give yourself a pat on the back, and BREATHE. 1… 2… 3…

Now it’s time to get back on the horse and fight your way to the next deadlines! That’s right, you’re not done yet: Regular Decision deadlines are just around the corner.

You might ask, “Aren’t Regular Decision applications just a repeat of Early Decision and Early Action applications?”

Absolutely not.

If you are like most applicants, you applied to your top choice programs Early Decision or Early Action. That doesn’t mean Regular Decision schools aren’t important. Presumably, you applied to more selective schools earlier on, so you must face Regular Decision applications keeping in mind that you might not get into your top programs. Come on – you know that waiting to tackle Regular Decision essays after you receive replies from your Early Decision and Early Action schools in late December is a bad idea. Yes, students, that’s a reality check coming right at you!

However, with some college admissions experience under your belt, every essay you write, every interview you give, and every activities list you submit should not only come easier, but should also be more refined. Simply put, your Regular Decision applications should be better.

Here’s how you can ensure that’s the case.

Copy, Paste and TWEAK

Many applicants are tempted to simply copy and paste R Early Decision essays into Regular Decision applications. We’ve even seen some excruciatingly shameful instances in which applicants forgot to change the names of the institutions they were applying to. (Elaborating to the UPenn admissions officers why Claremont McKenna is the best college for you won’t help your cause much, we ensure you.)

We encourage you not to simply copy, paste and send. However, the fact is that admissions essay questions tend to center around common topics:

Dreams and aspirations
Significant accomplishments and experiences
Influential people and books
Diversity
Why you’re applying to a particular school

This means that inevitably, you’ll find yourself recycling some essays. That’s alright. Just remember to modify the essays to fit what each program is looking for.

For example, if you are applying to a university well-known for its experiential education program (think: Northeastern) then you’ll need to emphasize your hands-on learning experiences. If you’re submitting essays to a college that values knowledge for its own sake and encourages students to think independently (think: Reed) then highlight what engages you intellectually.

Learn from Experience

During the last application cycle, you attended university fairs, visited various campuses and networked with current students and alumni. (If you didn’t, you should have!) Having been through this process, you should have a clearer idea of what kind of college is best for you and how to market yourself in applications. Through rewriting your activities list and penning admissions essays, you probably know your strengths, weaknesses, and even goals better.

This deeper awareness can translate into a better, more insightful and mature application package. If, as a result of the admissions process, you’ve begun to discover new academic career directions or interests, it is alright to reconsider your school selection or career goals.

Ace Your A-Levels

Although it’s true that many US universities will make admissions decisions without seeing your final A-Level scores, this is not always the case. Some colleges give conditional admissions, requiring you to achieve certain marks to gain full admittance. And what if for some reason, you are not accepted to any of the universities you apply to? Sometimes the smartest thing to do is to prepare for the worst-case scenario – while, of course, hoping for the best. Now is not the time to slack off.

In addition, strong A-Level scores may exempt you from certain general education requirements, allowing you to explore more academic fields, take up another major or minor, study abroad for a semester or year, or even graduate earlier.

Study hard: It’ll be worth it in the end.

As always, start early, stick to your schedule, and aim to complete Regular Decision school applications a week or two before the actual deadlines. Completing application tasks ahead of hand will leave you with some wiggle room - just in case.