Whether you’re transferring from a community college or finding a school that better fits your goals, mastering your application timeline is the key to a smooth transition. Unlike first-year admissions, transfer deadlines run on multiple cycles and depend on how many credits you’ve already completed. Here is how to keep your application on track.

Applying to college, while exciting, can feel overwhelming. Staying organized is the key to reducing stress and staying on track during the college application process. Whether you’re just starting your college search or preparing to hit “submit” on applications, these tips will help to keep you organized through the process like a pro.

Starting to plan for college shouldn’t just be focused on your senior year. In fact, you’ll be better set up for success and less stressed the earlier you begin. Here’s a checklist of all of the things you can do each year in high school to prepare for a successful college search and application process.

There are thousands of colleges out there for you to search through. This can be overwhelming, so we put together a list of the different categories of colleges that you may come across to help you narrow down exactly what you are looking for.

When do I apply to college? Good question!

Simply put: You’ll apply to colleges in 12th grade, and it’s a good idea to be ready to apply by Nov. 1 of your senior year. 

As a high school student, you are all too familiar with deadlines: essay due Jan. 15, lab report due Feb. 2, final project due April 30. These are firm dates when you submit your materials and — phew! —you’re done.

You’ve done the research and created a college list, but now you have to decide: Where do I apply? 

At the Coalition, we’re here to help you make smart choices when it comes to applying to college, and your first choice should always be: Apply to more than one school! In fact, we recommend applying to 6-10 schools, because applying to college means applying to colleges — and we encourage you to consider Coalition schools because of their commitment to access, affordability, and success.