File Naming and General Editorial Practices

This document is designed to help you navigate the journey towards a more streamlined application process. Each section covers a basic set of guidelines and instructions that will keep you organised and aware of what you need to do to ensure that you can fill in your application well before the deadline. Please read through each section in this document carefully and attentively. 

When submitting your college essays for editing, please follow the format below:

Name of the Student_Name of the University_Type of Essay_Draft Number 

Please note the following:

• Name of the Student: Please mention your full name.
• Name of the University: It is okay to abbreviate the name of the university when it is obvious or well-known. For example, instead of writing University of Michigan, you can use UMich instead. However, if you are applying to colleges with similar names, you should mention the names clearly (For example, for the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, use UMass-Amherst, and for Amherst College, use Amherst)
• Type of Essay: If your essay is:
  • A CommonApp essay then mention: CA Essay
  • A Personal Statement for the UK (UCAS): UCAS-PS
• If you are sending in multiple essays for editing in one document, for example, for the University of California essays, then you should mention it as UC Essays or UC Essay Set. 
• Draft Number: The draft number is used to indicate the status of the document. When you create your original draft, it will be numbered as D1. Then:
  • If your mentor/editor feels that your draft needs more information or has changes that you need to make, they will send it back as a review that will be marked as R1. R1 stage documents usually require large portions of the text to be rewritten. 
  • If your document is edited, it may still contain comments for you to fill in information, make changes, or provide context. This version will be marked as R1 E1. 
  • Once an edit reaches its final form, it will be marked as Final and that will be the version that you will use for your application. 

For example:

John Doe_UMass Amherst Essays_D1

In this example above, please observe:

• Name of the Student: John Doe
• Name of the University: UMass Amherst
• Type of Essay: Essays (indicating that there is more than one essay)
• Draft Number: D1

There are a few basic guidelines you need to adhere to:

1. All documents should be in the .docx (Microsoft Word) format; we will not accept submissions in any other format. If you are working on something other than MS Word, please convert the file into .docx. 
2. We will accept Google Drive or doc shares, but they must have the correct sharing permissions. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/2494822?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop#zippy=%2Callow-general-access-to-the-file - explains this process. Please follow the instructions listed under “Allow General Access to the file”. Note that if you make any changes to a Google Doc submission, you need to notify your editor via email.  
3. Please use standard typical fonts such as Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman etc. Additionally, do not change the orientation of the page, the page colour, margins, or any other layout parameters unless specifically requested by your mentor/editor. 
4. To view comments on a file in Word, navigate to the ‘Review’ tab at the top, and click on ‘Show Comments’. If a file has comments in it, please do not delete the comments. When making changes or revisions, ensure that you retain the comment made by your mentor/editor in the same place in the document. This ensures that there is consistency in the editing of the document. 

III.   Email Protocol and Editing Process

All documents sent for editing need to be mailed to your editor using the file naming conventions and format specified above. When sending the email to your editor, please use the file name as the Email subject line to avoid any potential confusion. After your editor receives the email, it will be assessed, and the editorial team/your mentor will provide you with feedback quickly. However, edits need their due time to maintain quality and will be sent back over a longer period.

Additionally, please avoid using funny/childish email addresses when sending your documents across. If need be, create a separate email address to use for your college application process. This ensures that you come across as sincere and professional in the eyes of the university. 

NOTE: It is important to CC your respective mentor and either Sweta or Madhurima (whoever is in charge), along with your editor, while sending emails. Sending emails to only one of them can lead to miscommunication and confusion, which should be avoided at all times.

IV.        Deadline Compliance and Information Privacy 

Deadlines set by your editor must be followed at all times. If, for any reason, you realise that you will not be able to meet the deadline, you need to contact your mentor/editor immediately and specify your reason(s) for the delay. Remember, the deadlines are set in a way that enables you to have a seamless editing process where you are not burdened with too many essays at once. Failure to comply with deadlines can result in documents not being edited (as they are too close to the university deadline). Keep an open and honest channel of communication with your editor about your workload. 

In addition to this, we acknowledge the sensitive nature of your college application. Hence, we do our level best to keep your data and information secure. We expect the same from our students. If any of your friends are applying to college (whether they be CollegeLab students or not), you must ensure that you do not share any information related to:

• Your shortlisted colleges that you are applying to,
• The nature of your activities and extracurriculars. 
• Any CollegeLab guides/materials/exercises that may have been given/conducted for you. 

If this information is shared, it can damage your application in many ways. Please make sure to withhold this data as much as possible.