When a university says that they recommend you turn in your application on October 15 when the deadline is November 1, will submitting my application after October 15 affect my chances?
No. If the deadline is 1 Nov then that’s what it is. They just like to prevent a last minute rush.
THey also see what happens when 50% of people try to turn it in Oct 31 at 11:50pm and the system crashes.
No. Submitting the application early allows admissions to begin assembling you application packet. For some colleges, it might trigger an interview request. At most colleges though, the AOs are still in the field conducting college fairs, so it’s not like the app will be read any earlier.
The advantage for the applicant is that it gets something checked off the to-do list. However, don’t submit an application early unless you are satisfied with they essays and triple checked for errors.
For the reasons about system issues above, give yourself absolute deadline of 24 hours before it’s due. Then if something goes awry with the technology (it prolly won’t!) you’d have time to contact the school the next day. Besides, you don’t want to be working on college apps on Halloween!
Check closely to make sure there is not a different reason for the Oct 15 date, e.g., make sure it is not itself a deadline for applying if you want to be considered for a scholarship.
Also check to see exactly what the college requires by Nov 1. Some colleges actually require your transcripts and test scores (and even your recommendations), and not just the application, to be in their hands by the Nov 1 date to be considered for EA or ED, and the college could be suggesting the Oct 15 date to make sure you order those things sent now rather than wait and risk them not being submitted on time, since waiting to send those at the last minute will assure they will not arrive on time…