Don't procrastinate!!

Parents Forum
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<p>I had a post several days ago asking if any of your bright kids procrastinate. Wondering if only mine was the one that does it. Many of you assured me that your children also procrastinate but it's just their way of doing things, but it does get done.</p>

<p>Well, here we are a couple weeks until her online application is due. Part of it is done (recs, personal statement), and part of it is not done. (you know, they allow you to go back and do it at your leisure til done). Now she has found that she's having problems with saving part of her application. No matter what she does, it will not save. I am way past the point of frustration. </p>

<p>I am anal about getting things done way before deadline. It's just the way I am, it works for me. I do it because things like above CAN happen. So here I am, the one that is a nervous wreck worrying about it getting done. (and so is she....now).</p>

<p>:) This is my vent. But I did want you all to know, you run a big risk in procrastinating. You never know, something may happen like this and it may NOT get in on time.</p>

<p>My only prayer is that the head of admissions will be able to help us somehow get this problem solved so she will have a shot at this wonderful school.</p>

<p>sigh.....has this ever happened to you or yours?</p>

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<p>


Salem, that particular measure of time is also known as a "teen-age lightyear".</p>

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<p>Salem... you say you have a "couple of weeks" until the application is due. By my book, that's plenty of time. By now a kid should have a basic essay written, wehther or not uploaded to a site; and should have all information such as lists of courses taken, test scores, EC's, compiled somewhere ... whether or not entered into a form.</p>

<p>Is your kid using the common app? If the information won't save on line, then there are two choices: (1) Download a PDF from the Common App site, or (b) try using the Common App site that allows you to fill out the form online to print out rather than submit on line (still a potential problem if it can't be saved). [This is a W</p>

<p>Once you download the PDF on to your computer, you can then download the FREE CutePDF Form Filler application at <a href="http://www.cutepdf.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cutepdf.com/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Now all the software is on your daughter's computer, not online. </p>

<p>Your daughter can then start the Form Filler application, and open up the Common App file. She will then have to re-enter all the data that wouldn't save on line -- a pain, but then since it won't save, it is going to have to be done any way. Once she has filled out the form, she needs to choose "Save As" and name the file something else (such as "Mycollegeapp") -- if she wants to make revisions, she will have to again do "Save As" and pick something else, because the free version of the Form Filler application doesn't let you do a standard save. (If the aggravation is more than you can bear, for $29.95 you can get the fully functional version of the software and then you will have all features, including the regular "Save" feature, enabled).</p>

<p>A final option is to download the PDF and print it out -- and then fill it out by hand. The essays and short answers can be typed and printed on a word processor as an attachment -- and simply write "see attached" in the fields for those options. </p>

<p>Anyway, I define "procrastinate" as when the kid waits to the point when it is too late to fix things. You are frustrated, but you are not there yet -- you are just going to have to plan to submit applications on paper by mail rather than online because of a computer problem.</p>

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<p>If you want some reassurance, I wrote 12 applications,including the Common Application and supplements in 10 days, one year ago, .</p>