Energy Management During the Application Process

19 January 2023

It’s a common initial thought — at the start of the application process, I tend to see it as a sprint. With just fifty meters left to the finish line, a final push seems enough to get through it. By this stage, language proficiency is secured, background experiences are in place, and many with the urge to study abroad view their desired destinations as lands of opportunity, thinking what’s left is just the result, right?

If this is your thought, beware, this perception is far from reality. Adhering to this viewpoint can significantly impact your application, but not in the way you might like.

The application is a phase spanning several months, comparable to a semester. Cramming for an exam two nights before is a sprint; preparing for a whole semester is entirely different. For instance, in U.S. undergraduate applications, you might apply to six to over a dozen schools. Beyond the common application’s hundreds of questions and two essays, each school has its own set of questions, and many have additional essay requirements. Factor in school selection and scholarship applications, and you’ll soon realize, “**This is way more complicated than I thought.”

After this realization, allocating your energy becomes crucial. In the application process, we categorize schools based on different levels and directions. Inevitably, we develop preferences. Our job is to focus our primary energy on those preferred choices. Adjust the details and content in your essays in alignment with your preferred schools’ interests (instead of modifying them afterward); submit applications to your favored schools early, not just based on deadlines, to avoid the fatigue affecting your writing quality later on.

Another point to note is the role of study abroad consultancy. Their service should aid in translating your personal expression, not doing the heavy lifting for you. Applications lacking personal involvement often lead to unsatisfactory outcomes.

From Anonymous