Assume it might take 3 weeks at least for an app to post test scores, LORs, etc. Never leave it to chance. Check if portal lists app completion status, then call if need be.
I guess I didnāt think this through. Thank you everyone for pointing this out. It is not over after the deadline.
In a lot of cases you are doing the FA paperwork until February 15th or later since you have to file taxes first.
Donāt all these people planning events like youth group outings, Homecoming, tournaments, fundraising walks, etc know that my DS really needs to work on his applications!?! I cannot figure out where he is going to squeeze in homework the next few weekends let alone applications. He needs a very rainy weekend with all events cancelled so he can get them done. My guess is it will be a sleepless week just before the deadline.
@Cheeeingsection Amen to that. I donāt want to harp on DS16, but he literally has something going on every weekend until Christmas , plus all of the crazy amounts of homework . :((
You are way ahead of me @carolinamom2boys. I am only looking that closely at the calendar through 10/31 because I think that is all I can handle knowing about right now. Maybe his choice gets much clearer if the only applications that get done are the two that are already doneā¦ :!! X_X ~X(
@Cheeringsection Iām a glutton for punishment or crazy. I canāt wait until all of the apps are in and completed. I know the waiting will be hard, but at least, weāll have a breather ( I hope)
Not sure if this will be frowned on or not by some folks here, but it worked for us! Something we did with a couple of my older kids in their senior year when I could tell they were past their limit, exhausted, stressed, lacking sleep, too overbooked, bursting into tears at random moments, etc. - they took a āmental healthā day off from school. We made sure to pick a day when there were no tests, no labs, etc. They slept in, had a full breakfast (how often does that happen in the mad rush of a seniorās life) and then they did work most of the day uninterrupted (homework, college apps, etc.). It made a WORLD of difference and it felt like we were cheating time and finding an extra day somewhere. Of course there was makeup work to do since a day was missed, but the trade off was worth it!
@4kids2graduate - whatever worksā¦
@mysonsdad - looks like someone is reading your posts about what your students are thinking. 
Weāve done mental health days all through school. S took a couple last year just to catch up homework. Itās the only way he managed his course load. This year heās taking the most rigourous course load he can, but has run out of classes, so itās easier than last year. He says it makes him nervous not to have homework every night and it feels like heās forgetting things.
That having been said, there are still two months of marching season left-- so itās not like heād have spare time anyway. Iām very very glad for the peer pressure on CC to start the Common App as soon as it was available.
I think mental health days are a great idea but athletes may sacrifice playing time for missing practice, so DS must shoulder on until at least fall sport ends. We are hoping that will not be until mid-November. I think if he could freeze senior year and just keep playing, he would.
Our mental health days are more for test preparations. DD took a day off from school last week and will take one this week for SAT prep for this week SAT.
We had everything set for an application to be sent on Sunday afternoon and the counselors recommendation disappeared. We resent the request and she was at the office (she had already said if we needed her she frequently was there). However, she was not getting the email. Her main email was down. After many calls and such we were able to send it to another email address and she uploaded her documents again. If every application were to go like that I would need a mental health day.
I want to ask those parents who have already filled their NM Scholarship Application, in the āCollege & Career Plansā section, is there any advantage/disadvantage if we choose āUndecidedā for both College Major and Intended Career ? Is it possible that we declare our EA college as 1st choice and then after the outcome of EA results in Dec/Jan, we may change our 1st choice college to our top priority RD college ?
@indsfolax - A 2015 parent here whoās D was a NMF. I recommend NOT filling in the first choice school until your child is accepted and will choose that school (you have until April 30 to designate a first choice). If you put school A as first choice and the kid is offered a scholarship there, then they decide to change schools, they will lose the scholarship and not get a second offer. As far as major or intended career, that matters a lot less and can be changed multiple times. It might matter if there is a specific scholarship offered by an outside source for a particular major.
@mtrosemom thanks. I should have been more clear with my question.
The EA school āAā doesnāt give any merit-scholarship or NM scholarship and we donāt qualify for FA. So no $$$ coming from school āAā. RD school āBā offers good NM scholarship (if selected). Knowing these additional points will you still suggest NOT to put 1st choice in NM scholarship application ? We want to show our interest to EA school āAā in whatever way we can. And then if that didnāt work out, then we want to show our interest in RD school āBā.
@indsfolax Since we are from the same state, I think our children are looking at the same school A and school B. So since school A does not give any NM awards and does not track interest, we just put school B as a first choice, since it is the only school on her list that will give her good NM scholarship if selected.
I still suggest waiting until after your child selects the school they will go to. We waited with D until she decided on the school (she decided in early April). She then went onto her Natāl Merit page and changed her choice from undecided to the school she selected. She then actually was given a small annual NMF scholarship from the school she chose. I donāt think you gain anything by choosing early unless your child is applying ED and is accepted ED. I donāt think the schools see the NM page like they see how you list schools on the common app.
I summited my college application! The recommendations and my transcript still need to be sent but I hit submit and it was such a surreal feeling!
Only one school in my DDās list gives NM awards and sheās going to apply RD for the school.