7 Things to Do While Waiting for Admission Decisions

The waiting is the hardest part. Stay sane while you wait for your admission decisions with these seven activities.

After the end of college application season, many students find themselves with a surplus of time. Waiting months to hear from colleges about your admission decisions can be daunting, but there are many ways to occupy your time in a productive manner.

1. Set short- and long-term goals

After spending all that time taking tests, writing essays, and filling out applications, you can feel a bit lost. Instead of spending extra time sitting on the couch doing nothing, set some goals! Try this exercise: Describe yourself in one or two sentences. Then describe what you want to be more of in one or two sentences. This can be as specific as learning a new skill or as broad as being a nicer person. Take this and form some short- and long-term goals for personal growth. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, ask yourself these questions:

  • What skills do I want to have?
  • What bad habits do I want to change?
  • What good habits do I want to form?
  • What characteristics do I want to improve?
  • What do I want to learn more about?
  • What books do I want to read?
  • What movies do I want to watch?
  • What places do I want to travel to?
  • What activities do I want to try or do more of?
  • How can I better my health?

2. Apply for scholarships

College can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be! There are tons of scholarships out there just waiting to help you pay for college. After writing a bunch of essays for your college applications, the last thing you probably want to do is write more, but there are lots of no-essay scholarships too. Look for applications with essay questions similar to papers you’ve already written. Make good use of your essays and apply to as many scholarships as possible. There are so many great scholarship search websites, especially CollegeXpress! Make sure to sign up for emails so you can receive notifications of new scholarships. 

Don’t be afraid to get specific. There are so many scholarships out there set aside solely for applicants of a specific religion, race, gender, major, school, or career interest. Also look for scholarships from local groups specific to your area. There are some really wacky and creative scholarships, and those can be fun to enter too! If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, set a goal to apply for one scholarship a week or every two weeks. Just remember, you can’t win a scholarship if you don’t apply!

Related: Scholarships 101: Your Introduction to Getting Free Money for College

3. Focus on school

Your college applications may be done, but school sure isn’t! Continue to work hard and study for your upcoming finals. Many colleges will expect you to keep up your grades all of senior year. If you’re in AP or IB classes, create a study plan for the tests in May. You’ll thank yourself later for putting in the time now. And if you’re struggling in a class, pour your heart and soul into it! Take advantage of your newfound time and learn as much as possible. If you start to learn about anything interesting, you could also read some extra books about the topic or do some outside research.

4. Get a job

Scholarships aren’t the only way to get money for college! Jobs not only bring in extra money, but they teach you important lessons in responsibility and give you experience for the future. Having a job can be extremely rewarding. If your school has a career center, check it out and look for part-time jobs in your area. Ask your friends with jobs if their employer is hiring and be on the lookout for “help wanted” signs at local businesses.

Related: How to Make Extra Money With Your Writing Skills

5. Volunteer

One of the best feelings in the world is knowing you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. Volunteering is a wonderful way to spend your time and meet new people. Look for opportunities at your school and in your community. Set up a clothing or food drive for local shelters or see if a local animal shelter could use a helping hand. You could also consider joining a service club such as the Rotary or Key Club.

6. Learn some life skills

Many students find themselves lacking certain life skills to live on their own. Making a cup of ramen and wishing for your laundry to get done won’t work in real life. Question your cooking, cleaning, and budgeting skills, then get to work on improving them. You can use your parents and the internet to become an expert. Teach yourself how to cook some basic, healthy meals. Learn how to shop and pick out nutritious food while staying on a budget. Ask your parents to teach you how to budget. Learn how to do your laundry, dishes, and basic sewing. You’ll feel more independent (and maybe a lot better about going off to college in the fall).

Related: How to Manage Your Time Intentionally as a Student

7. Relax

College application season can be stressful, so enjoy the fact that it’s over and try to relax. Give yourself a mental break and spend a day doing some of your favorite activities. Celebrate all you’ve accomplished and try not to stress about colleges reviewing your applications, because at this point, it’s out of your hands. Be happy with yourself and get excited about the future!

Kill some time while you wait by reading up on How Admission Decisions Are Made!

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Rebecca Barer

I am an avid reader, and I devote most of my time to writing and cooking. I also enjoy spending time with friends and family and generally enjoying life. I'm so excited to start at Johns Hopkins University this fall!

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Saint Louis University

St. Louis, MO


Wendy Thompson

Wendy Thompson

Owner, Westport Educational Consulting

I just discovered your site and LOVE it—fun, interesting, full of incredible information you can’t find anywhere else, and a godsend for those of us in the college counseling business. I am a fan!

Amelia

Amelia

High School Class of 2023

CollegeXpress helped open me up to many colleges that fit my interests. I’m only a sophomore in high school, so I like having a lot to look at, and CX does a great job of picking colleges that meet my wants. It's a great website that I'll continue to use until it comes time for me to apply for colleges. I also like that it notifies me through email with options to look at. Thanks CX!

Heather McCarty

Heather McCarty

High School Class of 2020

CollegeXpress has helped me with the college application process. The tips and tricks for important essays were so helpful. I also gained useful knowledge about college life. Even though I’m fully online, CollegeXpress has helped me develop a sense of how college is in person. The experiences from college students that were featured on their Instagram page have shown the good, the bad, and the “secret” life on campus from a reliable perspective. Not to mention, they relieved my feelings of anxiety about the workload. I can now understand how it can be stressful, but it takes self-control and willpower to get assignments completed on time and with quality.

Maria  Fernanda

Maria Fernanda

High School Class of 2023

CollegeXpress is always telling you with time to spare when to apply for certain scholarships, what they require, and if you’re eligible or not. They also provide helpful tips for both incoming college students and current college students, such as what to absolutely have in your dorm.

Katie

Katie

High School Class of 2019

My favorite feature of CollegeXpress is the scholarship search. As someone going out of state for college, I needed all the financial help I could get, and CollegeXpress helped me easily find scholarships I could apply for to help fund my education.