Okay, my parents are obsessed with the idea that sending in my applications in September will be the key to getting me into college. Not early decision or early action or rolling admission, just sending my app in four months early. I would really like to have more time, plus I don’t think that would help at all. Is there any truth to this? Is there a benefit to sending applications in early (not ED or EA or rolling admission)?
<p>It usually makes no difference but at some regular decision colleges you need to get your app in early to be considered for scholarships. You will need to check each college's site to see if that is the case.</p>
<p>So, other than that, there is no real benefit to sending your application in early?</p>
<p>I've heard that sending in your financial aid applications very early can actually be detrimental, because the financial aid office has very little to do early in the admissions season (at least compared to later). Therefore, the early financial aid forms are the ones that get gone over with a fine toothed comb and checked very closely for correctness. </p>
<p>I don't know how much truth there is in that, although it makes sense in theory. As for applications, unless it's a rolling admissions school, I don't think it makes any difference whatsoever.</p>
<p>I cannot make my parents believe this! They're convinced that sending them in when normal people send them in will make me get rejected. I want to send my U of M application in Sep, because it's rolling admission, but the other ones I definitely want to work on for awhile. Is there anything I can show them to make them believe me?</p>
<p>How about this: go ahead and do all the applications, but don't mail them, except for Michigan, of course. Once all of them are done, negotiate with your parents for a little leeway in the mailing schedule (Late October?) so that you have a chance to go back and improve in any area that seem weak. Your later applications ought to be considerably better than your early ones, so this is an important stage. By the end of October, you may have heard from Michigan, which may cause you to rethink your school list.</p>
<p>BTW, your parents are doing you a favor by compelling you to get your apps done early. Many a senior year winter break has been spent agonizing over getting the last applications in.</p>
<p>for some schools with rolling admissions, having your app in early might well make a difference.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I don't think they're right, but I agree with midwesterner, getting into those apps early is just a reallly, reallly great idea.</p>
<p>Applying ED and EA can give you a significant boost tho (maybe your parents are confused with that?).</p>
<p>I'm still amazed how fast you guys are doing your applications. That's just amazing. I haven't even started. Anyways, I don't think sending them early will help you. They might confuse you with a ED student or something at the best... Who knows? Try to negotiate with your parents and tell them more time = better essays = higher chances.</p>
<p>I have to agree with what midwesterner said. Finish your apps as soon as you can, mail out the rolling admissions ones and then sit on the rest. After a while, you may thing of a better way to write your essay or you may get another new award that you can add on to your app. Keep in mind that you're going to need to get some recommendation letters for your apps and you need to give your teachers a decent amount of time (4-6 weeks, ideally) to write the recommendations. If you're looking for recs from your senior year teachers, then the longer you wait, the more the teachers have to write about you.</p>