<p>Okay, so today I learned about a very interesting program from a mid-tier LAC. I contacted the LAC about the possibility of an applicant sending an application for Fall 2012 now (late February). The answer was a very firm NO. </p>
<p>I understand why schools have deadlines. They want to process everything by end of March. However, if a promising applicant is willing to pay the fee and send his application, why not accept it and put it "at the end of the line". Maybe if the application is strong enough give the student at chance... If not, just send the person directly to the waiting list. Provided the applicant has a good reason for why the application is late, it seems to me the school as nothing to lose. In particular, because I suspect that the school will show up on May in the list of schools that still have openings.</p>
<p>To me, this is one of those decisions made "on principle" without real reason. The same way that some schools would ditch an application if they find any spelling error (you know what, this student has 2400 SAT, 4.0 GPA, cured cancer, and saved Earth from the Martians, but you know what, he/she misspelled "mispeled" so let us just reject him/her right away).</p>
<p>fca719, don’t assume that any school would dump someone based on a spelling error. In fact, there were a few articles that said an error or two made the applicants seem nore genuine.
Here is how I would see this application and how it fits into the process. Even if you sent it today, the school would still need to get the SAT scores, the GC report, the LORs from teachers, etc, so it may be March until it is ready to be reviewed. (and no they shouldn’t start to review until it is complete). At this point, the applications should have all had a first good read, though in the days of high volume apps, that may still be happening. This app would need the initial review (converting GPA, check to meet school requirements, etc). Great, so you are qualified enough to get a first reading. You go in that pile. You would be at the tail end of that pile, and the tail end of the second read. Oh, do you need financial aid? Then in order to get your aid started, they FA office needs to start working on you before your app has even been read adn reviewed. What a waste. So lets say you are a good candidate, but not a slam dunk. You then go into the committee discussions (which are happening now as well). The adcoms will want to know if you will attend, and the question will be, if this is such a great perosn who really likes our school, then why didn’t they apply on time? Obviously we aren’t a first or second choice. the other question to ask is, what will this person be lke on campus? Will she follow the rules, be respectful of others and their time? Again, this late app is not showing promise.
If this school is THE ONE, then come take a tour, talk to a counselor and ask them what they would look for in gap year opportunities. See if they allow for spring admits, etc. Otherwise, leave that school to all those who really want to go there. Even if the school ends up on a list with openings in May, you are interested in a particular program, and the school probably has a good idea of its popularity.</p>
<p>All colleges have a certain amount of seats and beds they need to fill. If they are pretty confident that they can fill a class at the academic level they want from the applications that are submitted on time there is no good reason to take a latecomer. It might be physically possible to process the latecomer but there is no compelling business reason to do that. Many decisions are made on principle day in and day out.</p>
What would be the good reason? Students have a long time in which to submit the app so what’s the good excuse for being late?</p>
<p>If they didn’t have a firm deadline they’d get apps continuously and would have to ignore them at some point anyway and as a result might actually miss out on some applicants that would otherwise have been good ones if they had turned in the app in time for it to be reviewed. It’s better for the college to be up front and just indicate a deadline unless they specifically want to offer rolling admissions.</p>
<p>The other point - having the app not turned in on time can also be indicative of someone who’s not organized, not serious about attending that college, ditzy, and a number of other attributes colleges wouldn’t find appealing.</p>
<p>Regardless of processing and evaluating the application late, why should a college give special treatment to an applicant when they know that applicant had PLENTY of time to apply to that school before the deadline? Why does that applicant deserve an extension over the tens of thousands of other applicants who worked hard to get their application in before the deadline? If an applicant can’t get an application in by a certain date, than he/she doesn’t deserve to be admitted in my opinion anyway, regardless of his/her credentials.</p>
<p>The only viable reason I can think of why an applicant may not get his/her application in before the deadline is if he/she was really sick (at level of being in a coma or not being able to talk/think coherently, use motor functions effectively) and was in the hospital for months.</p>
<p>If you’re submitting a late application, they will know that their school is a mere afterthought. It would take extra effort for them to note on your application that it was submitted so late, and frankly, why should they bother? </p>
<p>If you had a really good reason for submitting a late application, I think it would warrant a call to admissions from your GC. </p>
<p>Also, not all colleges reject based on spelling errors. I spelled the name of the school (within the college) that I was applying to wrong, twice in one essay, and was accepted.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses. All the posts provided good answers. In particular is good to know that a little typo may not void your application (altough I know of an university program that states multiple times that a typo is killer… I don’t know why they do that).</p>
<p>At #2 and #6: Great points. However, for some people the process can be overwhelming, and some times there are important details that are not even in the school website, but the applicant may learn late (say, after delving into old College Confidential threads ). For instance, the school may be located close to a distinguished National Lab/Think Thank that focuses precisely on the subjects the applicant is interested. For instance, one may learn about a special relationship between Stony Brook University and the Brookhaven National Lab later in the admissions cycle. </p>
<p>At #3: Agree, if it is really true the school will fill the seats. The school could have offered a compromise. Say, do you want to enter directly on the waiting list?</p>
<p>At #4: “What would be the good reason?” I can think about a few. What about this one: the student just just became an U.S. citzen and now have much improved fin. aid possibilities.</p>
<p>At #5: “why should a college give special treatment to an applicant when they know that applicant had PLENTY of time to apply to that school before the deadline? Why does that applicant deserve an extension over the tens of thousands of other applicants” No need to give special treatment. Alas, just push the applicant to the very bottom of the pile. But at least keep the door open. If one arrives late to the store on Black Friday, all the specials are gone, but perhaps the seller and the buyer may still find a mutually agreeable deal.</p>
<p>Once again, thanks for all the stimulating responses and ideas. Now I am thinking that instead of just ED, EDII, RD, schools could have ED, EDII, RD + Rolling for these types of cases (all receiving decreasing priorities of course).</p>
<p>Depending on timing issues some people will just apply the next year instead and do something else in the year in between - possibly working and saving up money or something.</p>
<p>Right.^ Or you could transfer after a year at one school to the one you think better fits your interests.</p>
<p>The only exception I have heard of (though there must be others) is at a university that was just getting its broadcasting degree going…if I recall, they hired a new director late in the year, and I spent my summer working for him. I HAND-CARRIED a lot of paperwork across campus to get people admitted in June & July (school started in late September.) There was something about this guy that inspired people already working in the business to decide to get a degree in broadcasting, so he cut through the red tape and got them admitted. No idea if he got them any scholarship money.</p>
<p>The exception that I can think of is a school that you have already shown interest in but decided not to apply to. D still gets email from a couple schools that she looked at urging her to apply anyway even though the deadline is well past. They already know her and know her stats. One she interviewed on a visit. If it’s a school that receives many thousands of apps, they likely already have someone almost like you on paper who followed the rules and wants that spot. </p>
<p>Some schools will allow you to apply for spring next year, though, or just wait a year if it’s that important to you.</p>
<p>If this school does show up in May as still having spots, if you are still interested contact them at that point and ask again if you can apply. Maybe at that point No will turn into yes.</p>
<p>Schools with high volume applicants need to have a certain system in order to process through so many applicants. They usually have peope who start to put applicant’s files together right after the deadline before adcoms start reading the files. If the word is out that it is not a hard deadline they could have a lot more people sending in applications after the dealine with various sob stories. It would be an administrative nightmare, and they would need to hire more people to help out. Guess who would be paying for those extra workers?</p>
<p>If the process is so overwhelming and that is why they got their applications in late like you state, there is a pretty good chance you shouldn’t be applying to that school, or any school for that matter, because the whole college experience is probably going to be overwhelming.</p>
<p>Unfortunately your thought process is my biggest fear in the “everyone wins” mentality. It is a manifestation of the lack of deadlines kids have had to meet growing up, the if you turn it in a day late you get 90% credit, if you turn it in 2 days late you get 80% credit, etc. The real world just doesn’t work that way. Colleges have deadlines for many reasons, none of them arbitrary. They have to go through 1000’s of applications to pick the right mix of students for their school. Reading through the applications, recommendations, etc. just takes time. They have been at it long enough to know just how much time they need to get it done so they can be ready to go by their notification deadlines. If they “just add” a few at the end, where does that stop, 10 kids, 1000 kids?? There is no excuse for not getting applications in on time.</p>
<p>Try telling your boss you are overwhelmed with the project and you are just going to turn it in late because he should accept that and his deadline was just arbitrary anyway.</p>
<p>This does not happen in a vacuum. The student knows before hand that the process to citizenship is going on. The student could have still submitted the application on time and then inform the school to make them aware of the change of status. The student could have even taken a gap year and applied to schools, EA once his/her status was solidified.</p>
<p>Years ago my brother sent in his application a day (not a month) late to Stanford and wrote about how procrastination was his biggest fault. They accepted him. Don’t think that would happen today though. At least the elite colleges can fill their classes multiple times with great candidates who apply on time. Why should they make room for someone who can’t get their act together in time?</p>
<p>The OP says they just discovered this school. If it is a great fit, wait a year and reapply. In general though, there are ALWAYS people who think deadlines mean something for everyone else but not them because they have a good excuse. In thirty some years of work this is my biggest unvocalized gripe. Doesn’t seem to matter if I set a deadline with lots of time to comply or a shortened time span. There are always people that call you asking if they can have “a couple days” or if they can still participate. I have to zip my lips because I generally want to say “your lack of planning is not my emergency” LOL. </p>
<p>OP if you really like this school figure out something to do for a year and apply the next round or like someone said, call them up in April and see what they say.</p>
<p>Hey, the IRS isn’t going to read my tax return on April 16, or 17th or even 20th. They probably won’t read it until May 15th. So I think I’ll send it in on May 14th.</p>
<p>Yup, I can do that. I can file an extension (it’s free). Or I can send it in late and pay a penalty. (But they don’t come to my house and take away my car; they just send me a bill.) I can pay my mortgage late. I can pay my electric bill late. There are lots of things where the deadlines are totally and completely arbitrary and are imposed for the convenience of the service provider and not by the consumer.</p>
<p>But that’s life. You can choose to spend your adulthood “off the grid” where you don’t have to play by bureaucratic rules, or you can join the rest of us slobs who have to file things on time or pay the price.</p>
<p>I have someone working for me now who believes that deadlines are “suggestions” and that timetables are for drones who blindly follow the rules. Guess what- his behavior bothers his peers more than it does me. At some point I will get to fire him if he can’t get with the program-- but for now, it’s his colleagues who have to bear the brunt of depending on someone who can’t be bothered to plan appropriately.</p>
<p>If this college is really “the one” you can get a job or gap year for next year and apply in September. good luck!</p>
<p>Actually, as long as you have paid whatever tax you owe by the due date, the IRS does not penalize you for filing your tax return a month late.</p>
<p>I think that the “hard deadline” approach is not universal; many colleges would accept an application now from a student whose status has recently changed, or who just learned about the college. Some colleges may even have March 1 application deadlines. But any particular college may enforce its deadlines, and the more popular and selective the college is the more likely it is to have firm deadlines. I don’t know what the OP means by “mid-tier”, but I’ll bet this LAC is well above the national median.</p>
<p>I know of a kid who was admitted to a top 10 LAC and given a full ride FA package after being taken there by a HS teacher in APRIL! </p>
<p>This kid is a brilliant compulsive liar–probably qualifies as a sociopath–with a completely manufactured sob story that had already taken in many people. The HS teacher was a fool and an enabler–and an alum of said LAC. The student was “rescued” from the awful fate of having to attend the state U. :rolleyes:</p>
). For instance, the school may be located close to a distinguished National Lab/Think Thank that focuses precisely on the subjects the applicant is interested. For instance, one may learn about a special relationship between Stony Brook University and the Brookhaven National Lab later in the admissions cycle. </p>