I know the general idea of rolling admissions but I was wondering if as soon as applications open up can you apply and send it in a day later and your application will be read first, or is there a little buffer period before any applications can be sent it? Also I’m taking another SAT on October 1st and I heard you can mark that you are waiting on another test score to be sent during the application process. If I do this will they set aside my application until that score comes in and damage my chances because my application will then be in a larger pool? Thanks!
They will read apps as they come in- as far as I know, there isn’t a “buffer period.”
If you say you are going to have another test score sent, they probably will hold off on making a decision until that test score arrives. I’m not sure how much that would damage your chances though.
Depends on college. A pure rolling admissions school will review application files and decide admission as completed applications are received after the date it starts accepting applications (a completed application is one that has all required materials, including official test scores). The result is that you will usually get a decision within a few weeks after you have submitted all required materials. If you inform school that you are sending another test score when you apply, it may or may not wait to make a final decision, although likely most will if the decision would be adverse absent seeing the new score.
However, many are not pure rolling admissions schools. For example, there are some with rolling admisison that start accepting applications in September but do not start issuing any decisions until later, such as early December, after which they roll out decisions as applications are received, so those who apply in September can easily update their files if done by a couple weeks before decisons start to be sent out. Moreover, there are some that may sit on many files until you get closer to the application deadline, while rolling out decisions for others, because for many files they like to see the total pool of applicants before deciding.
So do you think it’s best to still take another test? My SAT is the schools average that I’m trying to get in but I would like a higher score just in case.
It depends on the school since every school has a different approach.
The most common type of rolling admission that I came across (at least in my list) is that if you apply EA, you apply early and get considered with everyone at the same time (like normal) and everyone finds out at the same time.
However, after the EA deadline, they start taking rolling RD applications. Basically the faster you give them your application, the smaller the pool will be and the earlier you will be given the decision. However, this way you are still being considered against the EA applicants that may have been deferred. Other schools accept applicants on a rolling basis but wait until a date to notify everyone of their decision, but you are still considered on a rolling basis.
This may be a PA/NJ thing though.
But yes if you say that you have a test score waiting, then they won’t give you a decision until it is in.