Is there any logic behind submitting an app one month early?

[ToomuchLes]

I've completed all the necessary forms in my applications, finished my essays, mailed all my official transcripts, and had all my LOR writers emailed by each program. My due dates are December 1st, and 15th. Originally, I was going to submit everything by Nov. 15th, in case I forgot to do something I still had time to do it, but the last two weeks Ive been very diligent. Should I submit my application now or wait until Nov 15th? 

 

 

[iphi]

Unless it's rolling admissions (and it's usually not) it makes no difference aside from your peace of mind!

[Crucial BBQ]

The second you hit the submit button you will invariably think of something that should have went into your SOP or another change you could have made.  

 

I'd say to set the applications aside for a week or two then come back to them one last time before you submit. 

[TakeruK]

Here are some pros/cons of submitting early, assuming it's not rolling admissions. Hope it helps you decide when you want to submit! 

 

 

Pros to submitting early:

1. One less thing to think about -- helpful if you think/perform better when loose ends are "closed"

2. You pay the application fee when you submit so submitting some earlier will spread out your costs (although you can also choose to pay early and not submit right away)

 

Cons to submitting early:

1. You might change your mind about the school at the last minute (I decided to not apply to a school within a week of the deadline--had my application all ready and then decided "nope!")

2. You might have something to change about your application in the next month (although you would know if this is about to be true, for example, if you have a paper under review right now, then don't submit yet!)

3. Waiting too long (i.e. the day of) might mean that Murphy's Law will strike and servers will crash as you try to submit!! (Or something else will go wrong).

 

Personally, the balance that worked for me was to submit about 2 days before the actual deadline. There definitely isn't a right/wrong answer though, do what you feel most comfortable with!

[peachypie]

I'd give it a bit of time, revisit one more time in the next week and submit if you feel satisfied.  Not much will change between now and November 15th anyway unless as others said, you know something is coming through.   Submit when you feel ready, but I'd submit no later than 2-3 business days prior to the deadline in case any matters arose that you need to discuss with someone at the program or contact ETS etc.  Also a lot of schools give you a "we have all your materials and everything is set email" and it feels good to get that information prior to a deadline so if something is missing you can correct it before the deadline.  Sometimes those "we got it" emails can take a few business days to come back to you.

[ToomuchLes]

Thanks for the great advice everyone! I think Im going to take a break from my applications then, until after Halloween. Then Nov 1st I'll revisit my applications.

 

And no, none of my programs have rolling admission (thankfully)

[juilletmercredi]

I dunno.  While I would probably wait too, I think that variations of this

 

 

The second you hit the submit button you will invariably think of something that should have went into your SOP or another change you could have made.  

 

are going to happen no matter when you submit it.  It's a feature of applying to grad school - or anything, in general.  We'll never be perfect, so we'll always think about some improvement that we could've made if we "had more time" or had revisited it again before submitting.

 

I wouldn't fret about these things - best thing, IMO, is once you submit it to try to put it out of your mind completely and occupy yourself with a hobby while waiting on decisions.