<p>1) When colleges have multiple parts to the applications (app, scholarship app, essay, recommendations, portfolio, GRE scores), do you try to submit everything at once, or piecemeal? What about when the schools prefer online submittion of the basic app? When they want the recs mailed directly from the recommender, do you make sure to submit the rest of your application before you ask people for recommendations? Or does it matter if your recs show up before your application?</p>
<p>2) How far in advance do you ask for recommendations?</p>
<p>3) How long did you/are you planning to work on your essay?</p>
<p>As you can tell, I'm worried about the timing of everything- I'm nearly at my final list of what schools I'm going to apply to (MICA, Pratt, RIT, SCAD, BU, & SMFA/Tufts most likely), and am plowing through the first draft of my portfolio, but have not started my essays yet, and am not sure when I should be asking people for recommendations or when I should be submitting the basic applications since most schools want them online.</p>
<p>I can at least give you some insight into SCAD, when I was there. The pieces to the application are reviewed as they are received and notations made. It didn't matter if the pieces were received one by one or all together. Once the file is complete, the portfolio is generally reviewed last and is often teh last item to be submitted. Transfer and graduate portfolios are reviewed by faculty directly. SCAD had/has rolling admissions, and applications are constantly reviewed for the following quarter, but most students start in the Fall anyway. The entire process is managed by an Admissions Counselor who manages the file. My advice per SCAD is to submit as much together as possible, but if you piecemeal it, it will not affect perception and evaluation.</p>
<p>you can actually send it piece by piece. when i applied to cca, i sent in my school transcript and recommendations (i already sent the app earlier since it was online - which included the essay)...</p>
<p>i sent those in in february. then in march the portfolio was sent.</p>
<p>you can send it piece by piece since the adreps open up a file for you once you send in your application. so when they get your stuff they just simply put it in that folder. </p>
<p>i know they don't look at your file until ALL of the stuff required are in.</p>
<p>as for your other questions, for the recommendations, i asked before christmas and got it late january. </p>
<p>and for the essay, it took about two weeks to do... i already had something in mind so it wasn't that hard.</p>
<p>One more word about SCAD-
Last Spring they were already accepting as much of your application that you wanted to for admission as far out as Fall 2009. If you went to an info session anywhere in the country, they gave a 50% break on the application fee if you began your application at the info session. My D saved $25!!!</p>