<p>As my DS and I approach the early action deadline of 11/1, I'm looking for advice for the actual electronic submission. When I look at the Admissions Forum and Common App forum, I see all kinds of panicked questions about error messages or app'l. gone wrong. Given that we have already blown the first and best advice (do it early), any other advice. I'd appreciate any other. As in, your experience with submitting on the drop dead date or should I finally draw a line and pick the day or 2 before for computer glitches? Thanks much.</p>
<p>Draw the line 3 days ahead of time. Plenty of time to fix glitches, or worst case print a copy and overnight mail it.</p>
<p>I think it's smart to hit the submit button a little early. </p>
<p>If your son submits on deadline day and there's a problem that requires him to submit a help ticket through CommonApp or get in touch with a school, it will be one of many sent. While no school will penalize an applicant for a technical glitch, I imagine your son's nerves will be frayed waiting for a response.</p>
<p>During peak times, we have gotten 500 emails in one day. Some writers are asking the usual questions (tour times, general info requests, etc.), some are just checking up on their application (for some reason, many people don't believe their status pages), and some are asking for technical help. Even when the questions are routine, it takes quite some time to work through all those emails.</p>
<p>I'd suggest a modification of Lafalum84's advice. If your DS can complete the application by 3 days before the deadline, then he can wait one more day for last-minute thoughts--adding overlooked items to lists, proof-reading essays when he won't automatically see the version he's practically got memorized (thereby missing the typos), having second thoughts about humor that might be mis-interpreted, maybe even adding humor that's good. If he sends it two days ahead, I don't think he'll run into server congestion anywhere.</p>
<p>I encourage the submission 2-3 days prior. We did have trouble with the first application-but we had time to deal with it. A friend's son waited-and he did not get it "received in time" (it was for a UC-he ended up having to attend a CC, and transfer) a real bummer!!!!</p>
<p>11/1 is still a ways away. Have him finish it, think it over, and submit it. Yes, do it earlier than the actual day, and yes, think it over. You still have two weeks. That should be plenty of time. As the ad used to say, Just Do It!! :) Good luck to you and your DS!</p>
<p>Do it as early as you can. It's two weeks until November 1. Get it done early next week and IF there is an error your son will have plenty of time to fix it. And as others have mentioned...sometimes on "deadline eves" there is a bottleneck that you want to avoid.</p>
<p>It's the weekend, and he doesn't have school. I say lock him in his room this weekend and make him do it. I know, he has homework. Well, this is homework, too, and it's probably more important homework.</p>
<p>Been there, done the last minute thing, still suffering from post-traumatic stress. ;)</p>
<p>My daughter asked me to stand next to her, I blew on her finger for luck, then she hit the enter button. I think my heart was pounding just as hard as hers.</p>
<p>One advice - as soon as he is finished with this application, start working on his RDs.</p>
<p>Do it early! Parent here, thanking God that we are not submitting apps again this year. D was an absolute mess, checking, rechecking, checking, rechecking. Pushing that button was a really big deal for her first choice school. Very dramatic,it was easier for the other schools.</p>
<p>a day or two early is smart. Also consider pushing the button during the day (when most kids are in class). The servers really start to bog down in the evening east coast time and continues slow as the west coast kids come home from school and log on.</p>
<p>Last year D went early, had no problems, and no problems with the college sites getting swamped. So I would go early.</p>
<p>My D had a few situations where schools did not receive things. It ended up not being a problem but I would have felt better had she printed the confirmation messages she got (or thought she got) when she sent the emails. I think she was submitting some of them so late that she didn't even read the messages. She thought she could save them to her desktop but it turned out that you can't really save the message. If you do it carefully and pay attention, there shouldn't be any submission/transmission problems.</p>
<p>Hitting that send button is traumatic and exciting! I actually took a picture of my daugher in her UChicago sweatshirt, submitting her Uncommon application to them online; she is squinting, grimacing with anticipation, fingers crossed!!</p>
<p>Submitting a few days early is very wise to allow time for glitches.</p>
<p>thanks so much for all your words of wisdom. Thanks APOL, good to have real life example of one that didn't go thru so I can make the point with conviction. Also printing the confirmation pages sounds like a good idea, too. And I love the picture idea, tho don't know if he'll go for it. Yes, oldfort, he's got another one for the end of Nov., then the end of Dec., so we won't be at rest for too long in between! Thanks again all.</p>
<p>In at least a couple of the last few years the UC servers have crashed on the deadline day. Do it early.</p>
<p>Thanks ebeeee--very good to know as one of the schools he's applying to is a UC school.</p>
<p>I'm in the same boat with you, mom in virginia. Last night was homecoming and all of D's EC's required massive involvement. And now that it's done, this week is absolutely committed to getting this rocket launched. I'm shooting for the end of the week to press send just to give leeway for patching up whatever needs to be patched up. She will find out the results December 1, so if we have to move to Plan B, we have some time ahead. We're not going to be working on RD's in the meantime, although I think others would disagree. It's gotten to be burnout time for both of us and we need a break. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>bblfraser - my daughter was very certain of her ED, everyone agreed she was a shoo-in, her school didn't even prepare packets for her RDs. When it didn't happen, it took a while for her to get back into doing her RD applications (not pretty to write essays through tears). If I learned anything from my older daughter's college process was to have all applications done before the ED result is out. I will certainly do that with my younger daughter a few years from now.</p>
<p>I need to vent a little: my kid's arts supplement (a music CD) has to be created in time for her to send it to her first choice EA school. I've been left the job of choosing between 3 takes of a 12-minute concerto movement. No take is perfect, of course. We could schedule another session with the accompanist (for another $60, of course) if we can work it around a non-negotiable family trip this weekend (for cousin's bar-mitzvah, 1000 mi away). My head is just spinning. This concerto is just very very exposed - it's the Haydn D for cello, if that means anything to you....my consolation is that this is just an arts supplement, not an audition. IF ANY OF YOU HAVE CONSOLING ANECDOTES feel free to share.</p>