<p>All of the colleges that I am applying to open their applications on August 1st. Their deadlines are usually at the beginning of November. Should I apply that first day applications open? Or does it not really matter as long as I submit it by the November deadline? I am planning on applying to Stanford, Clemson and a few others (those are my top two choices).</p>
<p>You are applying for ED?</p>
<p>You are applying for ED?</p>
<p>Apply prior to the final date and when you are SURE you have put together the best application you possibly can. Clemson has rolling admissions, so applying somewhat early can give you an advantage. But there is no need to shoot for the first day or the first month. For Stanford it does not matter, apply as early or as close to the final date as you want to. It is likely your transcripts and recommendations won’t get to the colleges until October at the earliest (assuming you have to ask teachers to write them when you get back to school). And they don’t look at your application until it is complete. Make sure your essays are rock solid (have a trusted adult review and make editing suggestions). If you expect any accomplishments it the fall (eg, being named a team captain or participation in an activity where you might get accolades) prior to the application due date, consider holding off so you present the strongest application possible.</p>
<p>Be sure you understand Stanford’s restrictive Early Action policy:</p>
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<p>Clemson is fine because it is a public university. But make sure you follow the rules for your other applications as well.</p>
<p>@ElisaMJones I am applying EA for Stanford. And Clemson is just like an early action also I guess (it’s not binding). </p>
<p>@intparent I have already talked to my teachers for recommendations and they both said they will have it for me by August 1st. Also, what advantages are you referring to towards Clemson? I know housing priorities but that’s it. And so an early application for Stanford won’t improve my chances at all? </p>
<p>For rolling admissions colleges, it is better to be nearer to the front of the line of applications than near the end… they just always seem to tighten up on acceptances as it gets later. But if you get your application in by early October, you are still near the front of the line.</p>
<p>No, putting your app in prior to the SCEA date at Stanford confers no advantage to you. They look at the whole pile of applications before making final decisions on anyone. A rolling admissions college like Clemson accepts students while still accepting applications, so that is why there is an advantage there.</p>
<p>Where else are you applying besides Stanford and Clemson? What are your stats?</p>
<p>@intparent
Well, I’m not entirely sure. Maybe Georgia Tech. I’m not going to apply to a lot of schools if I don’t really want to go there. I’ve already been provisionally accepted into Clemson so I’m not worried about a safety or anything.</p>
<p>But just a few of my stats:
*Valedictorian (class size of 186)
*4.0 GPA unweighted
*5.06 weighted
*President of Beta Club
*All State band for clarinet for 3 years
*5 mission trips (I’m not sure how to calculate hours. Do I just count the hours that I actually worked each day or do I say 24 hours per day because they are all overnight trips in different states?)
*various other volunteer work totaling probably around 100 hours (haven’t figured it out exactly yet)
*a bunch of smaller awards that I’ve earned throughout the years
*4 different “scholar” awards from local colleges in my area
*Elder at my Church (leadership position)
*soccer for 4 years (2 JV 2 varsity)
*cross country for 5 years (3 JV 2 varsity)
*region champs for both cross country and soccer </p>
<p>In addition, I have ran 4 half marathons and 1 full marathon. </p>
<p>I know I will have solid recommendations and I have been working hard on my essays so hopefully they will turn out great!</p>
<p>The only thing holding me back from Stanford is my sat/act.
Sat: 770/600/600 (1970 total)
10 essay
ACT: 28/35/27/31 (30.25 composite)
9 essay (27 English/writing)
So my scores are definitely on the lower end. However, I am majoring in engineering so my math is definitely on par with their standards (I missed only 1 question on every single sat and act test I took for math). So I’m hoping that my situation is similar to the other engineers because I am 100% math minded and English/reading is NOT my thing. Plus, I know the rest of the application is just as important if not more so than the standardized tests so hopefully the rest will be rock solid and perfect! My scores definitely don’t show my full ability in those subject areas. </p>
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<p>I would just put the hours you worked per day.</p>
<p>Regarding your acceptance odds at Stanford, the 50% point for SAT scores is 2210, and 50% for ACTs is essentially 32.5 for Stanford. The 25% marks are 2070 and 31. So you are in the bottom 25 percent of accepted applicants. Test scores are the one way schools can compare your academic chops across the applicant pool, and you aren’t in a good position. Those bottom 25% accepted students tend to be athletes, legacies, and URMs. You are none of those as far as I can tell from your post. Go ahead and apply if you want to, but put a lot of focus on your other choices so you are sure to have places you want to attend and can afford in the spring of senior year. Or spend your summer studying and take another crack at standardized tests in the fall. If you can raise your scores you still might not get into Stanford, but it improves your chances of acceptance everywhere and might help you garner some merit money someplace else.</p>