<p>As senior daughter starts back to school in a couple weeks, I am getting a little anxious about all the material that has to be organized, prepared and sent out by certain deadlines. We are pretty sure there is one school to apply ED, and the rest EA.</p>
<p>What is the best advice you would give to parents & students this time of year? </p>
<p>Also, if the date for materials due is say the 15th of Nov., or Dec. 1, is that what the postmark or time stamp should be or is that when they need to have it by?</p>
<p>Is it better to send in materials earlier than requested?</p>
<p>1) GET ORGANIZED. Some people like to get a big calendar and fill in dates. Some use a whiteboard, others an excel spreadsheet. Whatever method works best for YOUR KID is the best one to use.</p>
<p>2) The deadlines they give are dates you have to send things by, not the dates they have to receive them (unless it specifically states otherwise). Also in most cases the deadline refers to materials from the STUDENT. If the recommendations are a little bit later that’s usually ok. It’s better to get it all in the mail before the deadline, but don’t panic if some pieces that are beyond your control are a few days late.</p>
<p>3) Yes, yes, yes. Sending things a couple weeks before the deadlines is good. (No need to send in an app in September if they have a November deadline, though) There will probably be thousands of panicked seniors on the Common App website at 10 pm the night before popular deadlines (11/1, 12/1, and the biggie: 1/1). Odds of the website crashing: high. Try to get your kid to set themselves a deadline at least a week - if not more - ahead of the college’s deadline. .</p>
<p>Finalize the college list as soon as possible. Check date online for this fall’s application dates. Some schools have moved dates up.
Make an individual Folder for each school.
Hanging file is a good organizational tool. Everything in one box.
Write on each folder front what needs to be sent or completed. Example: application, LOR, essay, supplemental essay…
Check off and put date done when completed each item
Big Letters write Due date.
Need to provide teachers, GCs you are asking for a LOR an addressed and stamped manila envelope for each individual school. Put a note on each the due date for the LOR to be sent by. May want to sent it by overnight mail instead.
Next person, add your 2 cents…</p>
<p>^^^ re: the envelopes, it depends on your school. At our hs you give the Guidance office a single addressed envelope for each school you are applying to. They put the recs, transcript, etc into that single envelope, along with a postcard addressed to the guidance office for the college to return, indicating that they received the material and a place to list anything that is still missing. So check with your school for their procedures.</p>
<p>Did your daughter already finalize her college list? My S hasn’t done it yet. But he prepares sevaral folders for each college that he wants to apply as his core. First, he printed out each the college’s admission requirement document and application form and put them into each folder. Then he read them through and put labels with deadline and other important info on the front of folders. Doesn’t this work?
I have an impression that most of colleges require submission of other materials simultaneously or after submission of application and before deadlines.</p>
<p>^^ some schools only accept online applications. The other stuff can be mailed in at a later date. So no, you don’t have to have it totally completed before submitting parts. As soon as you submit something some schools start an electronic file. Different for different schools. Check each school’s website.</p>
<p>You can do both, but if you get an ED acceptance you have to withdraw all your other applications. Even if you get accepted at the EA first, the ED is a binding contract. You’d just withdraw your EA app, or if already accepted just reply that you’re not attending.</p>