Put extra effort into applications Don't treat the application as an afterthought. The shutdown gives you more time on your hands, so use that time to make your application special. Get help from teachers, go the extra mile and research what that prospective college looks for and apply for as many scholarships as you can to make the process easier. “This is the one time that you have extra time to look at schools,” Chastulik said. “Because when you’re in school all day for 8 hours, you’re not necessarily on the computer, but now you can get away with doing extra stuff on the side while you’re doing your schoolwork.”