Ugh,I feel like we’re in a holding pattern. C26 submitted their essays to the school college counseling office for a review on Tuesday. They aim to take 3 days to get back but no response yet, I guess they have a pile of EA/ED students sending stuff in now. I was really hoping they could finalize this weekend and get their common app applications in. The next few weeks look pretty busy with quizzes, tests and assignments as well as babysitting bookings and choir commitments, and I really don’t want them to submit last minute for EA. Especially for UIC as according to Reddit it seems that a number of EA applications that are submitted close to deadline end up getting put into the RD pool - not deferred, but moved into that decision pool.
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Yikes – this is because they just run out of time to read them?! That seems unfair – if they have a listed deadline, then they should honor that for all the apps submitted by that date.
I have heard of schools deferring almost all EA to RD because they’re overwhelmed by the volume, but those students are officially notified as being deferred. What you mentioned about UIC seems shady.
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Yeah, it’s just anecdotes by students but enough of them to make me think it’s valid.
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Agree, if that rumor is true it is sketchy and would reflect poorly on the school’s integrity. This could however be urban legend spread by students/parents telling half truths either because they don’t know all the facts or their emotions are getting in the way of them seeing what is actually happening. Either way, having this out there is not reassuring for families planning to apply.
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Common app nearly complete. She’s requested a guidance meeting to review a few things and she’ll meet with her English teacher to go over her essay then DONE. She’ll be submitting her ED1 and her safety right away. ED2 she’s got an essay to complete.
she spent this evening with her boyfriend going over his college application. I think it motivated her to work on it.
FAFSA done (omg so easy). CSS not started and I’m dreading it. Colby requires it’s done by October 15. 
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Slow progress on essays but plan is for D26 to complete the essays by 10/17 and submit all of her apps by about 10/20.
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D26 will complete applications in batches. Three EA schools will get done by Nov 1/Nov 15 deadline (one of which thankfully has no supplementals). The rest will go in as they are ready as she works through the supplemental essays for the regular admissions batch. Some of them have fairly weighty or numerous supplementals. There are a few that will likely not get done until after mid-December because, if she gets into the EA she really likes she will drop some of the regular decision from her application list.
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For S26, like D22, every time an app goes it, there is the confetti on the CA, and we like, “Whew, it’s in…” Then there’s the supplemental essay that pops up out of nowhere, or the extra stuff to apply for (a good problem to have) and portfolio submission for a few schools, which we have found to have different guidelines at each. Also, two of the portals have failed (“no account for this email/student”), so basically hoping everything gets in on time while we try to work with admissions to get them reset. Thanks for allowing me to whine a little. Good luck to all and reminder to check the portals for all the unexpected stuff.
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That is super frustrating. Hard to feel good about submitting everything if you can’t feel assured it’s actually submitted. Hope it gets resolved soon!
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Do those supplementals pop up on the portal? Or in the CA? Wondering where to tell her to watch for these things.
She submitted some apps this weekend (yay!)
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Almost all supplementals have been on the portals. Congrats on apps in! Have her check the portals periodically! 
I’m (not S26) feeling a little time pressure because a few of his schools are rolling admissions, with websites that say to get stuff in yesterday to have best consideration for admittance and merit. For the others, he is doing EA, so we have time!
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I was under the impression that all the supplementals would show up on the common app under the school so you know what you have to submit - are you saying there are extra? Or are these supplements for the particular major being applied for that aren’t needed for general applications?
For one school, it was an extra essay on the portal based on major selected for admission to the college. For other schools, there have been extra opportunities that S26 might qualify for that require a writing supplement, so these don’t impact general admission decisions but may impact scholarships, etc. Those are optional but since we’re early in the process it’s hard to know which to submit (and most want them by November). For the portfolio, since also relevant for your C26, the exact specifications were typically on the portals.
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I have now seen two different strings of discussion on CC (one on Harvard that may have been on this subforum, and one on Oxford College at Emory) talking about clubs being exclusive and kids being shut out of their interests. Other than Fraternities and Sororities, club sports teams, things like the Princeton eating clubs, I did not know that competitive extracurricular clubs were a big thing. It sounds like at some schools they may be a dominant or major part of the culture and of the place.
D26 is not the competitive type at all. In fact, schools where the culture and vibe seems to be predominantly collaborative rather than competitive has been a high priority for her in compiling her list (though she does have one school on her list that I’m skeptical about which way it actually tilts). She is a very social kid, but also a major introvert. In high school most positions that have required applying to your peers, she does not get, but she loves being in the clubs she is in. I’m now thinking that once she has her acceptances, we’ll want to ask about the competitiveness of clubs and how that influences the culture of the school. She’s only looking at small LACs so if the clubs are competitive, that could have a major impact on her experience. Does anybody have any insights on the competitive club scene, impacts on social life, and how to get at this when exploring a school?
My first instinct would be to have my kid ask about this with the admissions office. From what I’ve read, some of the highly rejective schools have a reputation for having clubs that require a competitive process in order to be accepted into the club. But this is definitely not the case at all schools.
You could also go on the college’s website and do a search for different types of clubs. A lot of colleges will have links to the clubs/student organizations’ websites, Instagram accounts, etc. Some will even have an email address to contact if you have questions. Your student could directly contact an office of whatever club she might be interested and ask.
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FWIW, I’ve found students / student tour guides to be better at getting the real answer to this. Someone asked this at Georgetown, and the admissions officer downplayed it (“There are over 400 clubs, some are competitive, but the vast majority aren’t, etc.") but the student tour guide was more specific saying that lots of students there are pre-professionally focused and the competitive clubs are kind of a big deal. She said that lots of people try out for them and will try out over multiple years to keep trying to get in.
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I feel this so much. D26 guidance has been so slow with everything and she has two schools with 10/15 deadlines and her counselor said to her “for the rolling ones we can submit whenever let’s focus on the 10/15 apps right now”. Ugh. Her rolling ones specifically say get in ASAP for scholarship, merit and admission consideration. I will be so glad when all of this is behind us and we know with confidence everything has been submitted by the school.
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I would search Reddit threads. There are a ton for specific colleges and I bet you will find what you are looking for. People are much more likely to be forthcoming since it is anonymous. I think if you ask admissions specifically, they will give you the answer of “there is a club for everyone here” and not admit if they are competitive.
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I know some business/finance clubs are competitive. Don’t know which other ones are.
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CS consulting clubs are competitive (at least at S23’s school).
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