<p>I am not sure if it is better to fill out an online application or just send one in the mail. Which is more beneficial? I personally would prefer mailing one in because i can work on the paperwork whenever i want to unlike an online application. So which is better?</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure adcoms prefer online, and you can definitely work on the online app whenever you feel like it.</p>
<p>Online. It just makes processing and checking for errors so much simpler. Trust me - adcoms do not prefer a hand-written application over a uniformly clean and typed one. Of course if hand-written is all you can manage that is fine.</p>
<p>If you're more comfortable completing a hand written application, then work on a hand written one whenever you like. After you're done, just transfer everything onto the online one. Problem solved. You can have it your way and the Adcoms can have it their way.</p>
<p>Also, online applications are much easier to edit. Trust me, you will make a mistake even if you are copying onto a final draft. Whiteout doesn't look good on an application. If you make the Adcoms job a little easier, I'm sure they'll be in a better mood when they debate your admissions decision.</p>
<p>I was planning on using hand-written applications until I realized just how many times I was going to have to fill in my name/birthdate/SSN/etc. I know that at first online applications can seem a little scary because it's a little bit more difficult to catch errors, but it's much cheaper and less stressful. With the online application, you can literally send it in up until a minute before the deadline (which I wouldn't recommend, but I did it with 8 of my 11 schools and it worked out OK). Also, you don't have to worry about anything getting lost in the mail, about smudges on the paper (maybe a dumb thing to worry about, but I'm a perfectionist), or about stamps/correct postage. </p>
<p>I was completely set on using paper until December rolled around, and trust me, online is worth it.</p>
<p>online makes it easier for everyone (tracking, legibility of writing, etc)</p>