I’m wondering if colleges care if I submit my application earlier during the regular decision period (not EA/ED). For example, if EA deadline is November 1st, and RD deadline is January 1st, does someone who submits their application on December 1st have an advantage over someone who submits on December 31st?
No. Assuming you are asking solely about admissions. If it’s a rolling admissions school you may get an answer sooner by applying earlier.
Some schools have earlier deadlines if you are applying for merit so keep that in mind.
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Typically, only if rolling admissions.
But each school may vary.
Some may want you in by Early Admission - and then have RD but state they look at apps as they come in.
School by school.
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Keep this in mind.
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And it it sometimes harder to get in the later you apply in these cases. Looking at U central Florida and U South Florida, but i’m sure there are others.
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For schools that are holistic, I would submit well ahead of the RD deadline if your app is ready. My assumption is that AO’s read apps as they come in vs only opening them after the RD deadline. You might get a more careful and less “tired” read. In most contests, you either want to go first or last. You can’t control last but you might be closer to first if you submit early.
At the very least, submitting early won’t hurt, and if you are doing multiple apps, trying to finish them over a longer timeline will be better than trying to finishing them all at the same time.
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The first read applicants may get the benefit of readers not having seen thousands of applicants like them already.
However, if a reader is a “hard grader” initially before moving back to normal as they read more applications, then it may be a disadvantage to be read first by that reader.
Of course, it is not necessarily true that applications will be read on a rolling basis as they come in. Also, just because you submit early does not mean that recommendations or test scores will be early.
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My D applied early to her RD schools, that gave her an opportunity to email AO a few months later with an update to show interest. E.g applied November, followed up in late Jan/early Feb.
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I like the idea of sending a follow up email! Thanks
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Yes that’s a good point thank you!
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Even if there is no admission advantage to submitting your application ahead of the deadline instead of the nite before, it still can be a good idea. If something goes wrong (you don’t get a confirmation email or portal shows your app is incomplete, for example) it’s easier and less stressful to fix these things ahead of the application deadline rather than trying to convince admissions you meant to apply.
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