Time it takes for materials to reach school??

[lalabooks]

Can anybody make an educated guess on how long it takes for application materials to reach a school? I guess it would only be GRE scores and transcripts. LOR, SOP, resume and application are all online so that will just be a click. I'm sure it depends on how busy the school is that is sending them but I'm just curious. Also does my online application have to be submitted before I send in GRE and transcripts? What does the school do if they receive a supplemental document without having an application even submitted yet? Any advice?!

[radioalfredio]

As far as how long it takes application materials to reach a school, it really depends on where they are being sent from and where they're being sent to. Some schools also have big delays around this time of year when it comes to sending transcripts. I know that my undergrad institution offers the service of paying 10$ extra to move your transcript request to the front of the line. I decided to take advantage of it for the peace of mind.

Although schools prefer for you to submit your application before sending other credentials, such as GRE scores and transcripts, you don't have to wait. If they receive doc. before your application has been submitted they'll still start a folder for you.

I think the real thing to watch out for is that schools don't always update your online status all the time, and they might have a doc. that they still show as " not received."

[maeisenb]

It completely depends on a long list of facts (mailing location, how you sent it, what time of day you sent it, etc.). Just submit the online forms and mail out what you have before the deadline. As multiple other threads have noted, there is typically some leeway between due dates and LORs, GRE scores, and other hard copies.

[pheonixx]

Also keep in mind that things are pretty hectic during application season. Some of my schools took two weeks for everything to be updated.

[rising_star]

It really all depends. Personally, I like to be in control of my transcripts so I have a bunch of copies at home that I mail using USPS Priority Mail with delivery confirmation whenever I need to be sure they get somewhere by a particular deadline.