Hi, Reader!

It's hard to believe that we're already in late July. Summer is almost over for some, but there's still so much going on. Family trips. Camps. That last vacation (or college visit) before school starts.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, application work is supposed to be happening, too.

Here's the thing to remember: Aug. 1 is a big day on the calendar, but it's not a deadline. It's not a brick wall. Seeing that date looming doesn't mean you need to rush to submit.

Submit your strongest application, not just the first one you finish.

Colleges aren't reading on a first-come, first-served basis. Texas A&M told me that themselves.

So if this summer is feeling stretched thin with travel and everything else, that's normal. It doesn't mean you're behind. It means you protect the time you do have, and you use it on the strongest draft, not the fastest one.

💡 THE STRATEGY

If your summer is full of trips and camps, don't try to work around the chaos. Work in it.

Pick two or three fixed windows a week (at least) and budget 30 minutes to work. Then, protect that time.

If you have to step away from your work for a while while traveling, write down exactly where you left off and what the next step is, so you're not rereading your whole essay to remember what you were doing.

And here's a built-in checkpoint: The Common App will come down July 28 at 5 p.m. ET for its annual reset and won't be back until Aug. 1. Use that blackout window to your advantage. It's a few days where submitting isn't even an option, so there's nothing to rush toward, just writing to do.

✏️ QUICK WRITING TIP

Watch out for misplaced modifiers. Never heard of it before? (I'm a grammar nerd, so I'm always on the lookout.) While they're not a make-or-break for your application, showing your mad grammar skills is always a nice touch. Here's an example of a misplaced modifier:

"Walking down the street, my keys jangled in my pocket."

Read literally, that sentence says the keys were walking down the street. We want the opening phrase to modify the person doing the action, not whatever noun happens to come right after the comma.

Fix it by putting the person back next to the phrase:

"Walking down the street, I heard my keys jangle in my pocket."

Or restructure it:

"As I walked down the street, my keys jangled in my pocket."

📆 UPCOMING WEBINARS & DEADLINES

See my full calendar here.

🙋 NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT?

Here's how to work with me directly, if you need it:

• ​Personal Statement Review: Already have a near-final draft? I'll give it a close read and send back specific, actionable feedback (in written and video format), followed by a 30-minute zoom, so you know it's ready to submit.
• ​Power Hour: A focused 60-minute session, just the two of us, to work through whatever's stuck — a topic, a stalled draft, application strategy, you name it.

🌞 ONE LAST THING

Summer is still in full swing, if you ask me. So keep on enjoying your friends, family, and travel. But just make some time for applications, too. You'll be glad you did. Promise.

Happy Writing!

Julia

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