Before I get the backlash, yes I KNOW I procrastinated the essays, it WAS a big mistake, it WAS irresponsible, but I am not giving up on the opportunity to apply to my top schools. I understand there are consequences, but how bad are the consequences if I submit them on Jan 2nd when the deadline was Jan 1st midnight?
Depends on the school but I wouldn’t be surprised if your app is not read.
Top schools reject more applicants than they admit. They must make the cut somewhere, and I imagine procrastinators who didn’t prioritize the school (in actions, where it counts) wouldn’t survive the first cut, or be considered at all.
This is not meanness, just adult reality. YOU gave up college opportunities in all the myriad choices you made with your time over the past weeks and days…no one else did that to you. There are some other schools with mid-January deadlines, and I sincerely hope that some of these are possibilities or you.
If it helps, WashU and UChicago’s deadlines are today. Deadlines for Carleton, Colgate, and Bucknell (among others) aren’t until January 15th.
What’s done is done.
You may want to come up with a list of schools whose deadlines you can make, just in case the ones you’ve already applied to don’t accept your app.
I would still submit. It takes weeks to process materials and I’m sure people have technical difficulties. For people who didn’t submit U Chicago and Yale they legit got an email saying that they would still take it like Jan 7 or 9 bc they “extended the deadline”
That being said, the time you submit may or may not be used against you. I actually submitted a few of mine like immediately after midnight, which gives me paranoia too. since they reject most applicants i guess it makes sense to use that as an easy reason to reject.
BUT admission officers are understanding humans. maybe the fact that you submitted late will “humanize” you to them idfk. everyone procrastinates. but def apply to other places with later deadlines and keep movin forward 
ruminating in mistakes doesn’t do us any good. it’s okay! it happens to the best of us. GOOD LUCK.
Consider using the school apps, instead of the Common App-- the deadlines may be a bit later.