Last minutes applications

<p>As I read the college admission forum, I am amazed at the number of students that are just trying to submit their applications. Why is it all of these students felt it necessary to send the applications today, January 1? Did they not realize there would not be mail delivery? Even if mail was delivered today, the admission offices were closes as it was Saturday. I'm am sure most school extended the deadline until Monday; still, submitting applications today is a bit late.</p>

<p>Most school in my area have the student turn in their applications to their GC to be looked over, meaning they were all completed before the holiday. I know that the students that were not admitted to their ED school might have had a bit of work to finish on new applications, but most of my daughter's friends had that done before they heard from their ED schools.</p>

<p>I just am happy that my daughter was not sitting here today filling out applications!</p>

<p>Pokey, I'm not a parent, but I can say.. as a late-applicant myself.. Part of it was procrastination.. many of us are EA-ED deferees/rejectees, and .. well.. I guess we had that glimmer of hope that we'd get in EA.. </p>

<p>I semi-took the warning of some of the parents here, and applied to several schools RD and EA (I was deferred from Georgetown).. but with a devastating deferral from Georgetown I decided last minute to apply to additional schools.. Many were common app applications.</p>

<p>My GC is primarily concerned with student graduation, not college matriculation, so I don't have the benefit of anyone looking over my application.. With the holiday season interfering.. it's been very hard on us late-applicants..</p>

<p>:: sigh ::</p>

<p>It's true that many of the students who are just now completing RD (or ED2) applications were EA/ED deferrals/rejectees, and with more and more students applying EA/ED, that just increases the number of students trying to finish up their apps. Many of my D's friends had said they were going to wait to hear from their EA/ED school before completing their apps to other schools--not necessarily the best way to do it, but definitely a learning experience!</p>

<p>I am a last minute applicant, and while I was deferred from Stanford EA, that's not the reason why I am a last minute applicant. I am simply the world's greatest procrastinator. I submitted my Northwestern application today online and I am mailing Princeton's tomorrow. The problem with the mail is no problem at all since the deadlines are postmark deadlines and not received deadlines. It does cause me to have to go to the airport to get my application postmarked tomorrow though. I hate being such a procrastinator...</p>

<p>My son was one of the many crazy kids doing applications yesterday and today--yes he learned the hard way. To top it off the ISP connection between us and the commonapp.org was down most of yesterday and he had to race over to a friend's house to get on line. It made for an incredibly stressful day to be sure. However, many kids, my son included maintain extremely full schedules. He has mostly honors courses and many extracurricular activities. It wasn't easy finding the time to finish the application for his EA choice let alone any other applications. (and don't forget SAT exams etc.) Maybe some kids are extremely organized/have lighter loads/help filling out apps? and get their applications done early, but for others it's a huge challenge to find the time. I wouldn't say they are all procrastinators or slackers.</p>

<p>Andi,</p>

<p>I'm in full agreement with you! My son is certainly not a slacker, but he just got his last one that was due out today submitted fourteen minutes before the deadline. Like your son, my son maintains an EXTREMELY busy schedule which leaves precious little time for any extra tasks. What with his busy schedule and with the discouragement that he felt after the Yale rejection, he did well to get everything done at all. I am proud of his efforts--I hope they yield some good results come April. ~berurah</p>

<p>My D's school certainly did not push them at all in the process. The counselors don't even talk to the kids about where they are applying. D still has 1 essay to go that is due on the 15th. She finished another with 5 days to spare. She is busy but I have to say it was typical teenage behavior of what is the rush I have till the 1st. No stress on time for her but bigtime for Mom</p>

<p>I'm a last minute guy. I think it's the lack of pressure/stress. I work best under-stress, and without stress... I really lack any will to focus and get the stuff done.</p>

<p>I'm exactly the same as david. Just submitted the Penn app couple minutes ago at 11:58:00 CST. For my essays, I have all these ideas floating in my head but I can't put them into a coherent essay until the last minute when the pressure is on.</p>

<p>david and athlonmj sumed it up</p>

<p>hey athlonmj- my son beat you with the Penn app by 2 hours! hehe - but he still has Columbia to send out tomorrow! Then 2 more by the 15th but hey that still 13 days away....and there's the history paper that has been put on the back burner due to applications..... I guess we'll be starting off 05 the way we finished 04 :(</p>

<p>Berulah- is that it for the applications?? Is he finished???</p>

<p>"No stress on time for her but bigtime for Mom" well he was a little stressed when the server went down :rolleyes: but other than that you said it!!!
When that last app goes out I am going to celebrate in a big way...</p>

<p>andi, good luck to your son with finishing all those apps :)</p>

<p>now I have to do all the homework due tomorrow that I've put off doing the last two weeks. needless to say, my parents are not very happy ;)</p>

<p>athonmj sounds very familiar!!! Good luck getting your homework done. Sounds like you've finished all your apps though?? :) I hope you've had at least a little 'time off' during the break. Not much of a vacation for many of you cc'ers. BTW you reminded me of what happens to my s when he has to write his essays; he has many ideas but takes forever to get them down on paper. I can't figure out what the problem is --maybe just overload.
I sympathize with you and your parents, but come April this will all be over and there will be some news to celebrate :P she says with hands in praying position.....</p>

<p>Some people are just procrastinators...It is a personality trait (or flaw) that some people have and should just be accepted. I am a terrible procrastor and can completely sympathize with what others such as athlonmj have said. Do you know what I find amazing about all these procrastinators here on CC? They're all high achievers, so it hasn't hurt them THAT much.</p>

<p>It never changes. I'm a parent who graduated from college 30 years ago, and I still am driven by deadlines at work. I just can't get very focused on something that is far off. I think it was Dr. Johnson who said something to the effect that the imminent prospect of hanging wonderfully focuses a man's mind.</p>

<p>andi,</p>

<p>I WISH he were totally done...but he just managed to get out the 1/1 due dates. He still has one due tomorrow, one on the 15th, and one that he needs to get out ASAP. So, we are right there with you and your son! Good luck! ~berurah</p>

<p>hi berurah, lol....did he get another one done today?</p>

<p>Coureur--I'm with you and with Samuel Johnson. (I love that quote: "Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.") I also like Cavalier's point, that procrastinators--including many of the ones we find on CC--can be surprisingly high achievers.</p>

<p>andi -
"To top it off the ISP connection between us and the commonapp.org was down most of yesterday and he had to race over to a friend's house to get on line. "</p>

<p>Lordy. I just worried about the UChicago server going down under load, so my son was not permitted to leave the house on Thursday until that app was submitted. That left me free to look at essays for other CC kids - everybody I helped got their submissions in on time, even with minutes to spare. The worst problem seemed to be a lack of understanding on how to copy edit to cut words, something which schools don't teach. I'm going to write up a little how-to list and post it for the next major deadline.</p>

<p>ohio_mom-
You sound like me; my child had applications due to her GC on a Monday a few weeks ago. I let her go out on Friday, but told her no leaving the house on Saturday until all was completed. She got them done in time to see a movie on Saturday and didn't have to strees herself out on Sunday.</p>

<p>I love that our school has the students turn in their applications to the GC weeks in advance of the school deadline. Saves me from nagging too much!</p>