ali001071

Are you supposed to submit the early decision application by 11:59 pm Nov 2nd or 11:59 Nov 1st?

rajincajunfire

November 2nd, because the 1st is a Sunday.

Although I wouldn't wait till the last minute.

i took the sat

it doesnt matter if you wait til the last minute. just dont be writing ur essay at 11pm nov 2nd....................

rajincajunfire

It does matter when a freak accident happens and your internet either stops working or computer freezes.

NWdivisionCHAMPS

So you can turn it in 11:59 pm on November 2nd and you'll be fine?

Also, Eastern time or does that not matter?

admissionsgeek

eastern time, and i wouldn't say fine.

give yourself a few hours if not preferably a few days. remember, they know what time you submitted your application. would you think someone was serious if they submitted something to you at the last moment?

i took the sat

^umm, yeah. i know of many people who finished their applications the night that they were due, and still got in. the submission time in no way has any factor in their decision... that's just pushing it

admissionsgeek

hi, i know many more people (by law of averages) that submitted their application the night it was due and were not admitted.

i can give you an anecdote to prove anything, but that doesn't make it right.

so take it from here: i am telling you from the horses mouth that when i worked with admissions officers as a tour guide that they do know and do care when you submit your application (not all of them cared about it equally, but you are dealing with people, and each will react differently). will they not admit you, that isn't a done deal. you might be interesting and compelling. but let's even just break things down more - students who apply later will be read later in the process, so they will have greater trouble to stand out.

and to use an equally weak counter-narrative - i know tons of students including myself who applied weeks before the application was due and i was admitted, doesn't that mean that folks who apply early must be admitted? no. so until then, either know what you are talking about, or don't speculate.

my point, don't test fate.

i took the sat

my point is that it would be insulting to an institution such as Columbia to even consider the submission time as part of the admissions process... i honestly can't see an admissions officer look at one application that was submitted in early september and then look at another that was submitted on halloween, and see them in any different light. if applicants who had submitted their application early were going to be accepted, the same applicants would be accepted had they submitted their apps later.

p.s. fate? admissions process? correlation?

admissionsgeek

did you read what i wrote?

anyhow, your point is too rosy, and forgets the fact that there might be a correlation between those who desire to submit earlier (i.e. perfectionist, eager-beavers) and those that might submit at the deadline (less committed, not as interested).

but more broadly: i think it is naive to assume there is no subjectivity in this application process. just as the applicant's subjectivity is engaged (who they choose to recommend them, how they present themselves), you do realize that a human being is on the other end of it and not a machine? the admissions officer can consider everything and anything, from your bad handwriting to your misspelling of Colombia. it is not to say you must be perfect, but that depending on your reader, things will be read differently across universities and someone's pet peeve at one place could bring pause whereas at another school you are easily admitted. if someone reads your essay after they just read something similar - what could have been impressive does not stand out. of course there is some effort at standardized practices to prevent massive bias, but in the end you are dealing with humans. and our understanding of history being very linear, it is best to be the person that they read first than the one that has the weight of previous expectations.

so in my opinion when you submit the application matters. it not only says a lot about how you think about a school, but what if a reader just begins to wonder how committed you are to the school, or is curious about sloppy errors, perhaps they might wonder - when did the person submit this application? at 11:59? hmmm...

do you want an easy way to avoid that hmm? submit it earlier.