Does the order in which you submit documents matter?

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
1

<p>My high school has made a big deal that you should submit the Common App or Supplement before requesting the school to send the transcript/recommendations to the college. Their rational is that the colleges make the official "folder" on you when you submit the Common App or Supplement as it shows you are definitely applying, paying the fees, and all the information they could possibly know on who you are (name, address, SSN, etc.) They claim it looks bad and materials could possibly be lost if you send the transcript/recommendations before you submit the Common App or Supplement. Is there any evidence to support this or are they just making up stuff?</p>

<p>The reason I ask this is they require you to submit the form 10 school days before the deadline to give them time to submit the documents. This means for my January 1st deadlines, I will have to submit everything right at the start of December because of my winter break, assuming I follow their guidelines.</p>

<p>tl;dr Is there any issue in submitting my transcript and recommendations before submitting my actual common app or supplement? Does the order in general matter, or does it all end up in the same place with no issues?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I’m not sure it matters, but personally, I would wait until after submitting the application to submit the transcript. You can always call the college and ask!</p>

3

<p>Long long ago, in a galaxy far far away, the student was required to accumulate all the material and submit it in one large envelope to the school.</p>

<p>Since then, the schools have become pretty good at matching up all the pieces of paper to the right student. The Common App form should have your Common App ID # on it. That helps the school to match the form to you. If the counselor/transcript is the first piece they receive, then it gives them all the info they need to open a file for you.</p>

<p>FYI: It is likely you already have given your Teach Recs. They might arrive earlier than your application. Same issue.</p>