<p>Does anybody know how much of a difference it makes?</p>
<p>If you want to know whether the deadlines matter...well..they DO. You should adhere to the deadlines posted for each college (and they are different) for both admissions and finaid...or you run the risk of not receiving either.</p>
<p>You do know that I'm not talking about the final deadline but the recommended deadline. For example, Yale, whose real deadline is Jan. 1st but recommended deadline is Dec. 15th. Do you actually get a leg-up on admissions if you send it in early?</p>
<p>it is better to be at the top of the pile than at the bottom of the pile</p>