Yes. I would send. The other pieces will follow.
We are in the opposite spot. Transcripts were sent. Counselor and teacher recs sent too. D’s friend even sent in her peer rec to Davidson already.
D’s CA is ready to go and D is just waiting for SAT scores so she can decide whether or not to send. It doesn’t matter which pieces show up first.
S21 is procrastinating on his UT app and I keep nagging him.
I will be doing the FAFSA and CSS profile at our house.
@homerdog. Thanks for your quick response. That was my feeling also. So great your daughter’s transcripts and recs are already sent! I think son’s school (private Quaker) views sending some students’ recs and transcripts before others an equity issue so they won’t send any before October 15, and then only for November 1 deadlines. As long as son can send his part (CA plus SAT scores), the schools at least know son is applying. Thanks again, and good luck with SAT scores.
Following up to say that I can see that schools have received transcripts and recs in the common app so I know schools have them. That info shows up even when the student hasn’t sent their part yet.
Hi, fun/stressful/exciting to see all this stuff in motion finally. Question: any tips on the Additional Information section? (Not the Covid one we thoroughly discussed :)). My D wants to use it to show the depth of a specific EC. Paragraph form? Persuasive or more descriptive?
Where do you see this in Common App?
Mr Momof3B is on it! I just sent him this link and he responded with “Yes, I know”. He’s earning his keep lol.
D21 got an email from U of Rochester stating she should send the “optional” peer recommendation within two weeks. Two weeks. She applied RD. The rest of her application is submitted and complete…but why are they saying the “optional” peer LOR needs to be submitted in mid-October? Luckily, that letter is finished but just needs to be submitted using U of Rochester’s form (not through the Common App). Was wondering if anyone else had heard of anything like this before? Why tell an applicant they have to get additional materials in a full two and a half months before the application deadline?? D21’s best friend is doing the peer rec, and thankfully she has already written it because she too is a busy person and otherwise may have had trouble suddenly having to finish it by mid-October.
That doesn’t make any sense to me. Not very many schools even have the option of a peer recommendation, from what I’ve seen so far. And 10 weeks early? Weird.
D21 used the Additional Info section to briefly explain her unusual ECs more thoroughly and list things she felt were important but would not fit within the activities/honors section. She did not write in essay form, more of a list with succinct explanations. She also listed publications she’s been featured in and talks she’s given.
The way your daughter wants to use it sounds completely appropriate. I would guess descriptive form rather than persuasive.
Part of me wonders if this is a demonstrated interest thing. As in, are they checking to make sure she opens and reads their emails…? If she writes her admissions officer and says hey, why can’t I submit it in December, then they know she reads their emails?? Or of course the same thing if she gets the letter in within two weeks…?
Maybe they are curious about her level of interest bc they are considering her for a merit award?
Editing to add: Granted I would be a bit irritated, too. Her peers are likely all swamped right now and completing someone else’s peer eval is not their priority if they have their own apps and essays to be completing.
Hmmm…She did fill out the merit scholarship questions on their part of the Common App section. I don’t remember D21 saying anything about a mid-October deadline, but perhaps she glanced over deadlines since she knew she would get everything in early anyway…?
But it’s too early for them to even be looking at her application yet, isn’t it? And that essay is “optional.”
Definitely send common app. My S21 has already been accepted to a school even though his counselor has not sent anything yet. More schools should have considered eliminating this requirement this year. He requested back in the summer and now they (teachers and counselors) are so overwhelmed with Covid and returning to school they are not focusing on the college applications.
I am one who honestly thinks they start looking at apps as they come in. Maybe I’m wrong: who knows. But honestly, why would they not want to start reading those early apps now? More time on their hands now, and with so many apps to squeeze in reading in Nov., so why not read those who are apps of students who are organized and motivated enough to submit their apps early??
Yes, that is my cause for concern. Her friend already wrote and submitted a peer rec through the Common App to a different college that also asks for peer recs, so thankfully most of the work is done…but U of Roch has their own application and some Roch-specific questions. D21’s friend has not finished her own applications yet so
I am not really happy about that email.
But if they aren’t going to release decisions until their usual time, why ask for the LOR so early?
I am tempted to tell D21 to email admissions and ask why so early. But I know she would worry that she would be looked at in a negative light if she asked.
Yeah, it’s not cool of them. Why would they add to the pressure and anxiety that everyone is feeling right now? Not a savy move IMO from a marketing standpoint, etc.
They could wait for sure to ask for the peer LOR but maybe they want to start off strong with a possible solid admit enticed by a nice merit award? They probably want to know that they have a golden bird in hand so even if your D isn’t EDing with them, they may want her and and are seeing how interested she is (as reflected by how she “makes things” I.e., this peer LOR “happen”).
Again all of this is speculation. But I don’t believe much in coincidences. There are reasons for things.
Go to my colleges and then click on one of the colleges then click on Recommenders and FERPA. You’ll see if anything has been sent.