The Common App opened for applications on August 1st, thus signaling the official start of application season. Some colleges have launched new essay prompts, but this year is the same as many. This, of course, leads to a question for many students: does when I submit my application matter?
This is an interesting question (which is why we’ve decided to write an article about it), because the answer is no, but actually yes. We’re first going to explain why when you apply doesn’t really matter, and then we’re going to explain why it, in fact, very much does. Don’t worry, read on and all will be made clear.
Why it Doesn’t Matter (much) When You Submit
So long as you submit all the application materials before the deadline, whatever that deadline may be, your application will be considered and weighed the same by admissions officers. This holds true for early action, early decision, and regular decision; there is no admissions benefit, no increase in chances, and indeed, no difference in what order the applications are reviewed in based on when you submit.
This is because schools know that deadlines are inherently stressful, and want to be relaxed as they can while still maintaining a strict deadline for applicants. There is also no reason for them to incentivize early admissions; instead they want to make sure students take all the time they need, rather than turning in incomplete or otherwise rushed applications.
A good application takes time, and admissions officers know that. Essays take multiple drafts, and between the personal statement and supplementals, that’s a lot of writing many students need to do. Thus, they don’t want any added incentives for students to rush this. They know many students will be tempted to wait until the last minute anyway, but that may be inevitable.
Rolling Admissions
There is one kind of admissions where this is not the case, and it is referred to as rolling admissions. Here, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received (thus the name) with the applications submitted earliest reviewed first. This is less common, and is mostly only practiced by a few schools which get a lot more applications than they are able to easily process.
For these schools, the difficulty of acceptance increases the later you get in the admissions cycle, as fewer spots remain on campus. Indeed, most schools which practice rolling admissions fill their entire class before the final deadline when they stop accepting applications.
Therefore, you should check carefully if any schools on your list practice rolling admissions. While it is less common, that doesn’t make it impossible. This is usually used by larger state schools. If any of your schools practice rolling admissions, then you should apply to them early, well before their application deadline.
Why It’s Good to Submit Your Application Early
So now that we’ve explained why you don’t need to submit your application early, we’re going to explain why you should, in fact, do exactly that. To explain, I’m going to share an anecdote from a friend, from their time applying to colleges.
You see, they didn’t follow any of the advice Ivy Scholars gives out now. They didn’t work with any kind of counselor, and were a high school senior, full of completely unwarranted self confidence, and completely assured in their own ability to take on the world (as we all were at that age). They waited until the last minute to do large parts of their applications, including all of their supplemental essays. After all, they had until November 1st, sure it was the middle of October, but they assumed that was plenty of time.
Then the entire state they were in was struck by a freak blizzard, one of the largest and earliest ever seen. Everyone lost power for at least a week, and they were unable to submit any of their (still unfinished) applications online.
Luckily, the schools they were applying to extended their application windows by a few days, and they were able to crank out the essays and submit their application in the nick of time in their dad’s office. They did still manage to get into a great college, but the days of stress were not fun. They were very lucky in that regard, but the story easily could have ended differently.
Of course, your own situation is unlikely to be so grave, or seem so ill fated, but it does highlight some of the inherent flaws of waiting until the last possible moment to submit, or finish, your college applications. We’ll detail these reasons more, and explain each in more detail.
Stress
If you’ve ever put off a final paper or big project until the last minute, you know how stressful a time crunch can be. College applications are one of the biggest and most extensive projects you’ll do in high school, and have high stakes besides. This makes them stressful already for many students, and the added pressure of a time crunch only makes matters worse.
This doesn’t apply to all students, as everyone handles pressure differently. That said, we know that the student’s we’ve worked with always enjoy finishing well before deadlines, being able to relax as they approach, knowing that their materials are already submitted, and no longer need to be worried about.
Unforeseen Circumstances
A freak blizzard is an unlikely occurrence, and we don’t anticipate this being a problem broadly. That said, any number of events can impact your application as you attempt to submit it. Computer crashes, internet outages, trouble with power, other unforeseen and unforeseeable events can crop up, conflicting with the deadline and your ability to submit.
The deadlines are hard, and nothing is accepted late. We always advise our students to submit early because of this. Sure, events like this are unlikely, but they do happen, and you don’t want all of your work to be for nought due to circumstances outside of your control. We recommend a cushion of a few days, just in case circumstances like these crop up.
Other School Work
Senior year is often your hardest academically in high school, the final push to get you ready for college. You’ll be taking your most advanced and challenging courses, and the workload is often reflective of that. When you add in an often crowded schedule of extracurriculars, students often find they have very little free time. This makes finding time to work on your college apps a challenge at points.
We begin working with students to draft their essays and think about their activities lists in August. We help them complete the Common App as soon as it opens. This isn’t a hard process, but entering all the little details takes time, and that’s an hour or two you may not have to spare in the fall. Starting early, and then submitting early, means you will have less to worry about and work on while you are dealing with homework.
How to Track Deadlines
Of course, part of submitting early, or just on time, means knowing when applications are actually due. Common App lists deadlines, but most students write their essays outside the application itself, to make for easier proofreading and editing. This means you will need some way to keep track of when each application is due, and a plan to make sure your progress is on track.
Each student has their own preferred organizational method, and we don’t think there’s any particular right or wrong way to go about it. But you should keep organized and have a plan. We tend to keep all of the due dates organized in a spreadsheet with our students, along with plans on when we will complete each set of essays. Of course, we don’t always stick to the plan, but having a plan in the first place makes it much easier to ensure everything gets finished in time.
Final Thoughts
Colleges don’t care much when you submit your application, so long as they get it before the deadline. It won’t impact your chances of admission, and indeed, admissions officers have no idea who submitted when. That said, submitting early is good for many students, to take off some of the pressure, and to help them keep organized in an often hectic process.
Applying to college is often a challenging thing, and requires a lot of work and planning. It can feel difficult on your own, and is the sort of thing made easier by having a guide along with you. If you want to hear how we can help you with your own college application process, and give you a smoother path, schedule a free consultation today. We have a long experience helping students achieve their collegiate dreams, and are always happy to hear from you.
