<p>Over the weekend I took a peek at an on line app (not the CA) that Son had been working on. I noticed that he left quite a few lines in the contact indo blank and was concerned that he had been so lazy. I filled in the blanks and saved. But it didn't save. I did it again. No save. I did it again and all but one line saved. I filled in the one blank one more time and it saved.</p>
<p>I can just imagine the stress if this had happened the night before the deadline!</p>
<p>^ Also the fact that with so many people all trying to send the on-line application at one time. And the fact that your computer might not be working the day that it's due.</p>
<p>Yeah, given the fact that our computer always seems to wait until one of the kids has a paper due at school to act up, I'm sure it will be the same with college apps.</p>
<p>My Brown app was due at 11:45 P.M. or somesuch; I sent it at 11:43, and my internet died until 12:00. As soon as my internet came back, I emailed Brown, told them what happened, and they gave me two days to send it in. I didn't change anything though--it seemed a bit dishonest.</p>
<p>(I didn't end up being accepted, but I was wildly unqualified anyway.)</p>
<p>Talk about a helicopter parent! It's only August.</p>
<p>So you think it's being a helicopter parent to check your kid's college applications? Interesting. Son was 1/2 way done with an essay (specific to that application) and asked me to read it...glad I did because I found the tone very flip and inappropriate (he was trying to be funny and it wasn't working.) If that's being a helicopter, so be it.</p>
<p>I was under the impression you did it behind your son's back.</p>
<p>I would have to have known his log in info.</p>
<p>Oh ok my apologies. Obviously you're not being a helicopter parent if your son asked you to look at the app.</p>
<p>Good thing you checked. For another last-minute app horror story. The GA tech application for early action (for Presidential Scholarship program) had bugs during the last few weeks before the Oct 31 deadline such that one time you could log on and have it tell you your essays were fine and the next it would tell you you were hundreds of words over the limit !</p>
<p>In some sections of this particular application, there was a SAVE button at the end of every page. But then in others, there was a SAVE button at the end of every section that saved for only that section. I can just see getting to the end of an application and pressing SAVE, only to have it save only the last section. (And of course, the SAVE button didn't always save.)</p>
<p>A few hours before the Jan 1 deadline this year, I was still working on a supplemental essay. Then there was a power shortage. I know, right -__- (I live in a developing country so honestly I shouldn't have been surprised.) Thankfully the electricity came back on soon enough, and I managed to submit my application before the deadline. Still, I admit that was cutting it way too close.</p>
<p>..But apparently, I never learn. I had another supplement due on January 15, and worked on it until the very last minute. (Oh, those "Why X College" essays..) When I was all ready to submit, I thought I was still a couple of minutes within the deadline. Turns out, I wasn't. I contemplated letting the college know, but I figured it would only bring it to their attention that I had missed the deadline, so, oh well, I forgot about it and hoped they hadn't noticed at all.</p>
<p>I got in. <em>shrug</em> I guess this can also serve as a tip to all future applicants: please try as much as possible to NOT do any submissions too close to the deadline. But if it can't be helped, or if you'd submitted it like minutes after the deadline, I think most schools wouldn't really mind all too much. Happens every year. Take note though, that I said most, not all.</p>
<p>Man, college applications can be a -----. I didn't have the most stellar record for prompt submission of paper documents either..</p>
<p>Almost every year for the past three or so, the UC server has crashed right before the deadline. Every year, you see posts from frantic students on CC. Somehow they never read the posts that remind people not to wait until the deadline.</p>
<p>Well, at the deadline, the servers all seem to crash because of massive traffic. You want to begin submitting at 8pm because chances are that it'll take an hour for your app to go through lol.</p>
<p>At the Caltech preview weekend this year, the head of admissions proudly stood up and gave a list of statistics about this year's freshman class including this one (more or less):</p>
<p>Over 50% of those accepted to Caltech this year submitted their applications on the day of the deadline.</p>
<p>Some colleges will take late submissions by a few hours or days, while others are quite strict.</p>
<p>I'm the kind who feels like I'm not doing my job if I don't keep rechecking my essays until the deadline.</p>
<p>I was lucky when I submitted mine, though, since I didn't have any problems. Especially because while some schools will give you extra time, websites like the common app actually cut off your ability to submit after the deadline.</p>