Applying to USA Unis
So I’m looking to apply to universities ( specifically liberal arts colleges) in the usa
I would be starting university in autumn 2026 (currently in y12)
I was just wondering when is the best time to begin writing my essays and getting letters of recommendation that are needed from my teachers ?
As I’m not sure if I should wait until after my summer mocks to ask for references from teachers, however i’m not sure if doing this will delay my process a bit if the teachers take a while to do this - as I want to apply for early decision to my main uni in around November/December and obviously with the summer holidays and marking mocks I assume teachers will get really busy and I want to give them as much time as I can to do my letters and avoid stress or delays.
For reference I do English lit, politics and history at a level and I don’t have predicted grades yet but I’m currently getting As, a couple of A* and some Bs in my essays across all my subjects, but I’m hoping to do the best I can in my A levels so aiming for at least AAA
Of course I will also be applying to the UK and so once y13 starts the UCAS applications will take a priority and I assume my schedule will be very busy - so i would like to have my usa stuff ready by summer so I can have a smooth and easy application process once they open up in autumn.
I’m not interested in ivy leagues or anything - I have family in the usa and am interested in the country a lot so I’m very drawn to the Maine/Boston/ New England side of the country and have interests in liberal arts colleges eg Bowdoin which I hope to apply for early decision in - however I know that usa universities are very competitive so I’d be looking to just apply to as many as I can, as with the prices too I’d want to ensure I can get sufficient financial aid so I could actually afford to study there
If anyone has any advice with the timeline aspect of things I’d really appreciate or anything just regarding applying to the USA in general as I’m still new to the whole process and am researching everything
I would be starting university in autumn 2026 (currently in y12)
I was just wondering when is the best time to begin writing my essays and getting letters of recommendation that are needed from my teachers ?
As I’m not sure if I should wait until after my summer mocks to ask for references from teachers, however i’m not sure if doing this will delay my process a bit if the teachers take a while to do this - as I want to apply for early decision to my main uni in around November/December and obviously with the summer holidays and marking mocks I assume teachers will get really busy and I want to give them as much time as I can to do my letters and avoid stress or delays.
For reference I do English lit, politics and history at a level and I don’t have predicted grades yet but I’m currently getting As, a couple of A* and some Bs in my essays across all my subjects, but I’m hoping to do the best I can in my A levels so aiming for at least AAA
Of course I will also be applying to the UK and so once y13 starts the UCAS applications will take a priority and I assume my schedule will be very busy - so i would like to have my usa stuff ready by summer so I can have a smooth and easy application process once they open up in autumn.
I’m not interested in ivy leagues or anything - I have family in the usa and am interested in the country a lot so I’m very drawn to the Maine/Boston/ New England side of the country and have interests in liberal arts colleges eg Bowdoin which I hope to apply for early decision in - however I know that usa universities are very competitive so I’d be looking to just apply to as many as I can, as with the prices too I’d want to ensure I can get sufficient financial aid so I could actually afford to study there
If anyone has any advice with the timeline aspect of things I’d really appreciate or anything just regarding applying to the USA in general as I’m still new to the whole process and am researching everything
Reply 1
21
CommonApp resets every year on August 1st, at which point the main essay prompts change and many schools change their supplementals. Also, anything you've input will wipe from the site. So you may want to begin to think about what you could write over the summer, even write the framework for very common essays in an external document ( why do you want to study x subject, what was your most significant extracurricular and what did you learn, etc ). But most of your essays should be written next academic year.
As for letters of recommendation, request those ASAP. April/May of Year 12 is when most students request them.
Also make sure you understand the difference between Early Decision, Early Action, and Regular Decision. Early Decision is binding, so if another school gives you better financial aid, you cant simply withdraw from Bowdoin. Bowdoin should be good as they meet full need for internationals with no loans, but make sure to do a Net Price Calculator for them to see what they may expect you to pay. Each school has a different formula to calculate your need, and some are kinder than others. If the Bowdoin NPC gives you a number you cannot afford, you should not do ED there.
As for letters of recommendation, request those ASAP. April/May of Year 12 is when most students request them.
Also make sure you understand the difference between Early Decision, Early Action, and Regular Decision. Early Decision is binding, so if another school gives you better financial aid, you cant simply withdraw from Bowdoin. Bowdoin should be good as they meet full need for internationals with no loans, but make sure to do a Net Price Calculator for them to see what they may expect you to pay. Each school has a different formula to calculate your need, and some are kinder than others. If the Bowdoin NPC gives you a number you cannot afford, you should not do ED there.
(edited 7 months ago)
Reply 2
I recommend writing the essays as soon as possible so you have time to polish them. Does the liberal art college have a history of accepting students who wrote their essay on a specific theme? If yes, I'd write about the theme.
I would request letters of recommendation as soon as possible so the writers have time to write them. Make sure they like you so the letters will boost your application.
Look at the profiles of students the colleges admit. Do they normally admit students who did certain extracurricular activities and who had letters of recommendation from specific types of people, for example politicians or government officials?
I would request letters of recommendation as soon as possible so the writers have time to write them. Make sure they like you so the letters will boost your application.
Look at the profiles of students the colleges admit. Do they normally admit students who did certain extracurricular activities and who had letters of recommendation from specific types of people, for example politicians or government officials?
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