Is it ok to submit common application before letter of recommendations are in?

Applying to College
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My son fully expects his letters of recommendation will be before the due date. But is it ok to submit his common application before they have been turned in? By that I mean if the letters come after he submits his application are they still properly considered? Or do they have less value if the reviewer doesn’t have everything at the same time? Thanks.

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Yes. And that’s usually what is done

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It’s common to do so.

Many schools may not review the application until all parts of the application are in. If they are waiting for LORs, score reports, etc., the application will languish until all pieces are submitted.

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If schools use Naviance or other management systems for all of the attachments, some school counselor will not submit the letters, transcripts, etc…until the student has submitted their parts.

Some teachers will not work on LORs until school starts. Make sure the teachers get an update of interests, majors, etc…17 year olds are notorious for changing directions completely over the summer before senior year.

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Unless rolling admissions, many won’t review until the application deadline anyway, so submitting in 8/1 has no advantage other than getting it off the applicant’s plate. The applicant should not submit until they are satisfied that nothing can be improved upon, that they have proofread, spell checked, and had someone else proof

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Yes, I was thinking rolling admissions when I made that statement.

I wouldn’t submit an EA or ED application super early. As @skieurope said, there is no advantage, especially as most admissions offices aren’t reviewing until after the deadline.
. Plus, waiting to see how some things shake out —making sure the schedule stays the same with dropped/switched classes, waiting to see if there are any early awards/club leadership/team captains early, etc., prevents the applicant from having to send an update. There are still some moving parts early on.

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And they might also change directions during the fall while submitting applications! By the time that my son was submitting his EA/RD applications in Oct/Nov, he already had a different intended major from the early/rolling apps he had submitted in August/Sept…

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