<p>Anyone use Columbia's first year application instead of the Common App? My one teacher didn't understand how to get the recommendation to them and didn't submit one. I noticed that they will give you an ID where you can track everything, so this seems to mean that they will wait for the supporting input (transcripts/recommendations, etc) and these don't necessarily have the "hard" Nov 1 deadline? I also noticed that Columbia allows you to take the SAT in Nov and still count it towards ED, so it looks like the main thing is to get the ED application submitted by Nov 1 for the student. Then Columbia will let you know if they are missing something and you can track it down. Does this seem to be your understanding as well?</p>
<p>Yes everything you said is correct. </p>