Month: November 2017
Post-Thanksgiving Leftovers: College Applications!
Thanksgiving may have come and gone, but if you celebrated hard enough this past week, you might still have some leftover food lying around. College applications are just like Thanksgiving dinner: there’s too much to finish at one sitting ! The good news is that post-holiday leftovers don’t have to scarfed down in one bite – and your leftover college applications don’t need to be all wrapped in one evening either. (Of course, if you have a November 30 deadline, we hope you’ve got that taken care of by now!)
Here’s how you can make your leftover college applications tasks less daunting and more manageable.
Make Lists
Lists make life easier. You don’t have to just take our word for it, you can read this article on why they not only help you, but are good for you.
Making a list is somewhat like arranging all the thanksgiving leftovers on the table so you can figure out what you’re going to do with them and when (the cookies will keep for a while, but you may want to eat those sweet potatoes soon!). Just knowing all the items that need to be done (finish essay, get recommendations, confirm safety schools) will make you feel you’re in control, which is a great feeling.
What lists do you need? You could make a list for each college you’re applying to, so you can take care of each of their requirements, though you could combine them into one big one so you can see all your to-dos together. Be sure to leave room to write comments and check them off! By the way, even if you make digital lists, it might be visually more powerful to print them out and have them up on your wall or somewhere you can see them. Even simple color coding with highlighters will make the list more manageable.
Schedule Time
Making a list of things to be done is not enough, you have to get them done! With all kinds of deadlines and different amounts of work to do on each application, creating a schedule is an enormously helpful way to keep yourself on track.
Also, the next month is about more than just your college apps. You’ll still have school assignments, and extracurriculars and finals coming up that you want to finish on a strong note.
The goal is balance: don’t cram for your finals now and leave your college apps for the break or vice versa. Build in a bit of work on each of them every week for these next few weeks so that you can enjoy your well-deserved time off this winter and get your apps done on time!
Do Reviews
Double check everything! Start with your lists – did you include everything? Is something missing? And then do the same for your schedule.You don’t want your energy and hard work to be wasted by a simple forgotten deadline. January 1st is a common application deadline, but there are plenty of exceptions to the norm out there. So make sure to triple check the dates!
Have you allotted enough time? Are you forgetting a family or social commitment that you have to honor? If you have a family member who can help you review your to-do list, enlist their help, it is always good to have a fresh pair of eyes to spot anything you may have missed.
Of course, you’ll have to review your applications too. Have you answered the questions correctly? It is not unheard of for students to misunderstand a question or answer the wrong one.
College essays are rarely perfect from the beginning, but it’s up to you to revisit your work and think about outside criticism and consider implementing outside suggestions. This includes not only feedback from counselors but also others that may not have read your essays yet (friends may not be the best reviewers!), so that you can get a feel for what a college admissions officer would be likely to take away from your writing. Even better, if you can, get your essay reviewed in depth by experts who know what admissions officers look for – check out Meemli for a great, affordable option for expert review. Keep revising and revisiting your essays until you’ve sculpted them to perfection.
With so much to review, it might to create a summary checklist reminding you of what you should look at daily too!
With any luck, your Thanksgiving break should have included enough time to recharge your batteries for the home stretch of the college application process. Use that energy to keep on top of your assignments and finish strong – second semester is right around the corner!
Do you have favorite coping strategies for post-Thanksgiving leftover work? We’d love to hear about them!
30 Nov, 2017
A Thanksgiving College Bound Seniors Can Enjoy
After almost three months of hard work at school, Fall Break has finally arrived for students! But at Thanksgiving college bound students can be overwhelmed by working on college applications and essays. We at Meemli know it can be difficult to stay thankful, let alone enjoy your well-deserved holiday with looming deadlines and assignments – but we can also show you how you can do both!

There are just two simple things that you need to do to reduce stress, get your work done and also enjoy yourself.
Plan It
You’ve heard this one before – if you want to manage your stress, make a plan! Seriously, given your workload, if you want to enjoy the holiday, you have to make time for it. Start by making a schedule for your college application work and well as other schoolwork, and then add in some time to spend with your family and friends. Most importantly, schedule in some “me-time” – and don’t forget to catch up on sleep if you’re running low. Your application output will be so much better if you’re not frazzled!
Give Thanks
The best thing you can do to this holiday? Give thanks! Feeling grateful is important to not only give you perspective, but believe us, it will make you feel better too! Here are some things to appreciate a little extra this week, whether at the holiday meal or just personally, on your own.
Opportunities
If you’re in a position to be applying to college, consider yourself very fortunate as not every teen is able to do so. At college, you’ll have educational, social and networking opportunities that will help you in your future careers as well as life in general. You will go a long way into becoming a productive, competent adult and have fun in the process. So while the application process can be stressful, keep in mind how lucky you are to be able to go after the rewards of a college experience!
Family
Your family has undoubtedly played a role in supporting your journey to college, and will likely continue to be part of your support network well into college. The holidays are a time to spend with family. This Thanksgiving take a moment to appreciate all that your family is doing for you, physically, mentally, emotionally and of course financially, as you prepare to go to college. Maybe it’ll inspire you to help them out a little with the cooking and cleanup too!
Advisors
Applying to college can be complicated and confusing at times. Fortunately, you probably have teachers, counselors and advisors to help you navigate the murky waters of college apps. Without help, the college app process will be even more daunting. These people work hard to help you, so send them a thank-you message this Thanksgiving!
Friends
Where would you be without your friends? They can relate to your challenges during this stressful time because they’re going through it themselves. It’s not just a case of “misery loves company”, going through a shared experience with friends gives you much-needed emotional support. So take a minute to thank the friends who’re there for you!
Resources
As you probably have experienced by now, pretty much everything you need to know for applying to college can be found online – from virtual tours of campuses, to how to fill out application forms. There are many wonderful resources that are available to you at your fingertips – can you imagine that even about 15 years ago much of the information was not readily available and “going online for help” was not a thing? Now you can find something or someone to help you in any aspect. (Check out Meemli’s expert review of your college essay to polish it up!)
Depending on where you end up going to college, you may not be able to come home for next year’s Thanksgiving, so soak in this year’s holiday as much as possible. Go ahead, make sure to give thanks, chill out, take pictures, and eat way too much!
Do you have tips for a Thanksgiving college-bound students can enjoy? Let us know! Happy Thanksgiving!