<p>Saw this in another thread and thought I would pass it along. With the Nov. 1 deadline fast approaching and as a first time user of Common App, this sort of news does not reassure me. I am hoping my DS will have his application done early to give us some time in case we run into glitches.</p>
<p>@vahockey, we work very closely with the Common Application and as always, we’ve been happy to work with students as they experience any kind of extenuating circumstance in the days leading up to the deadline that prohibit an on-time submission (Super Storm Sandy for example last year). We do encourage students to plan ahead and make all efforts to submit materials by the deadline but we will certainly work with students who experience any difficulties.</p>
<p>That is very reassuring to know. He attends a very large school. While it is a very good school, the staff is stretched thin so there is little support from that direction. As it is, he is on his own and we are trying to figure this out for the first time. I’ve already had to call W & M Admissions a couple of times and they have been very helpful.</p>
<p>The formatting and word counts on my son’s essays were totally wrong when he tried to upload to the common ap. It did not allow indents or tabs and it added random spaces all over the place. He went word by word comparing his original to the common ap version, but I’m worried this extra step will let errors slip through. Thoughts on mailing hard copies of the essays so admissions can see that he does indeed know how to write/type?</p>
<p>He is applying ED - we are also first timers to the college application process. He is handling it well but I am stressed!</p>
<p>YPTmom-
When you upload the essay there should be a button on the bottom right to ‘continue’. This then moves you to the next section ‘Submit…’ (I’m going by memory here). Click back up to the written essay section and select ‘edit’. Now you can go in and adjust any formatting errors that occurred when you copied the essay over. S3 paid close attention to paragraph breaks and anywhere it looked like a hard return where there wasn’t supposed to be. HTH</p>
<p>As for the stressing, it may seem like eternity but you/your student really doesn’t have long to wait for early Dec. My 2011 grad kept us hanging until mid April, and it looks like S3 may drag us into April as well. Once everything is submitted and credentials are received it does get easier to sit back and get back to normal life. Right now it’s all encompassing because of the process and the glitches with the CA. It doesn’t last forever. Next year we’ll be missing them terribly, wherever they land, and would give anything for another week even with these crazy apps.</p>
<p>@YPTMom, no need to mail in a hard copy of the essay. Just make sure maybe to proofread/preview the essay again before submitting. If there is a formatting error that slips by it will in no way be what determines the admission decision your son receives. But if he proofreads again he should catch any remaining glitches.</p>