<p>This has come up a couple times but hasn't yet been answered definitively. Does it help if you send your app in a month or so early (assuming it's perfect and you don't intend on changing it)? Will the adcoms have more time to review it, giving you a greater chance of making a good impression?</p>
<p>I don't think it's much of a help unless it's a rolling admissions college b/c when school's have a deadline they don't start reviewing the apps until after that date and I don't think they mark the apps for when they're received so for the most part I think it only helps for rolling admissions colleges though I could very well be mistaken.</p>
<p>for rolling it helps alot because they fill up fast, so if you send it in at the deadline there wont be room for you to get in. for other schools i hear it helps to get in apps asap (as long as its your best work). it puts you at the top of the list, says alot about you for getting in in early, and makes you look better than the thousands of apps postmarked on the deadline</p>
<p>that's kind of along the lines of what i was thinking. so do they start review after the deadline, or do they just do the ones that come in when they do? cuz the latter would make it beneficial to turn the app in early.</p>
<p>Hope I'm answering your question, but anyway. If it's rolling admissions the admissions committee will either review applications either when a certain number of applications have been received or there existed a preset date to begin review of applications. In terms of normal deadlines, I believe they usually wait until the deadline in question, and actually begin the reviewing of applications a week or two after the deadline.</p>
<p>So colleges definitely review apps after the deadline, therefore disregarding any advantage you may have had by submitting yours early. True?</p>
<p>I believe so, so basically the difference between application 1 and application 2 would be the first was received in September and 2nd on December 30th and I don't think they would know the difference.</p>
<p>i dunno i would send it in as soon as possible if you can.....i've talked to some admissions-type people and they say there are applications they will admit at the beginning and then applications they deny at the end only because there aren't as many spots left. to quote "there are lots of applications we see at the end and think 'we would have admitted this person if we saw the application earlier but there arent that many spots left.'"</p>
<p>I do and don't believe the whole rolling admissions thing. Just take a school like boston college which gets like 25,000 applications. They don't wait until april first to start cracking into those. It takes well more than a month to get through 25,000 applications. You don't really think they just throw every application they get into a bin until april 1, do you?</p>
<p>I always say if you can get it in early, get it in early. Because lets say school X has 3000 acceptances, and 10000 applications. Lets say they have 3000 acceptances by application 8000, the other 2000 are either S.O.L., or they are under much tougher standards (or get on the waitlist which generally leads to no where). So getting your application in early might put you closer to the top of the pile, so you don't get stuck in an awkward spot.</p>
<p>Ummm, since when is BC a rolling admissions school, and also, of course they don't wait until April 1st, that's why the deadline is January 1st and they don't tell you if you're accepted or rejected until April 1st, so that's what about 90 days in which they review all of them, so...</p>
<p>Julyinoh, I agree with Tonyt88, I don't think submission earlier or later matters, except in the case of those schools with "rolling admissions". My advice would be to make sure your application is complete and the best representation of who you are when it is submitted. Also, many schools will say they have no "preferences" for online vs. paper application submissions, but then they "encourage" you to submit your app electronically/online because it speeds their processing. I would take them up on the "encouragement" for online apps. Also, do NOT wait until the very last day because there will be a ton of people who do. Last Novemember 30th, the University of California's admissions applications server crashed due to the onslaught of last minute app filers. Because of the logjam and ensuing complaints, UC extended the deadline another couple of days -- although a lot of students didn't find out about the extension until it was too late. Give yourself a week or two, just in case.</p>
<p>Just for grins, here is what Harvard says (and they are not alone in this policy):</p>
<p>"Are a student's chances of admission enhanced by submitting application materials before other applicants?"</p>
<p>No. We request, however, that students submit the Common Application and the Harvard Application Supplement by October 15 (for Early Action) or December 15 (for Regular Action) if possible. Receipt of these two forms allows us to expedite application processing and to arrange personal interviews more quickly.</p>
<p>i seem to have gotten my dates mixed up.</p>
<p>regardless</p>
<p>i didn't say bc was rolling...i said (or at least i meant to say) that i don't buy into the whole "if a school isn't rolling then it doesn't matter when you get your application in as long as its before the deadline." the fact is, 90 days (or 75 - most schools i think are january 15th deadline) isn't really enough time to go through 25,000 or so applications. Thats why I believe every school practices rolling admissions to some extent - but they just mail all notifications out at the same time (unless of course you're being offered a scholarship or something). even if you use the 90 day figure - which figures that everyone is working weekends too...each application gets a little more than a minute of attention. Unless a student is completely underqualified i feel that adcoms spend more then a little more than a minute per application.</p>
<p>but the point is this. if you get your application in at the 11th hour...now you're at like the bottem of the pile. What if by the time the adcom gets to your application they're very close to being full - or actually are full. You would be held to much stronger standards than the rest of the people.</p>
<p>For those who have an interest in the college admissions process, an excellent book that delves into a depth of insight that many found to be revealing is "The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College" by Jacques Steinberg. It was written a few years ago and is now available in paperback. It's been mentioned here on CC before, but it bears another mention for yet another class of college applicants:</p>
<p>What I find is that each and every year, there continues to be a lot of banter on admissions factors, with a lot of the banter being inaccurate or uninformed. I always recommend that while CC presents a quick and dirty way of getting a response (often of the "instant gratification" variety), the advice should always be taken with a grain of salt. Even the well-intended are only human and can communicate, inadvertently or otherwise, information that is simply not true. When in doubt, check with an admissions counselor at the college(s) you are interested in.</p>
<p>I wouldn't assume that the applications are just thrown in a pile and then reviewed all together. I belive many places DATE them when they come in. They might review them all at once, but a date will probably be on the application. Nothing wrong with submitting early - plus you don't have to worry about it anymore. </p>
<p>Also, don't wait too long to apply - housing becomes another factor (availability or shortage of).</p>
<p>Early app:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Definitely a favorable factor when applying to rolling admissions college.</p></li>
<li><p>Irrelevant if applying regular admission to college that usually makes decisions between Feb and April, except that some colleges may require you to apply by an earlier than deadline date if you want to be considered for scholarship.</p></li>
<li><p>Very important at a small number of rolling admissions colleges, e.g., Auburn, because they determine your housing assignment by order of submission of the housing application which cannot be submitted until your admitted. For example, Auburn starts taking apps in June and sends out decisions beginning in July and those admitted who then apply for housing July to September usually get first choice and those who don't apply for housing until after December are often told nothing is available on campus.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>i want to apply to UCLA. i still need to take the ACT on sept 16 (and maybe oct 28) and i have to take SATII nov 4. when should i send in my app? if you need to send in test scores later, does this hurt you?
Thanks</p>