do grad schools do rolling admissions?

[child of 2]

Would this depend on the school and department?

Is it beneficial to finish your app early and submit it?

Would it be one of the first applications to get reviewed if you submit it early?

or does it not really matter...

[annieca]

It depends on the school I think. I know most schools it doesn't matter when you send it in as long as you're before the deadline (even by 1 minute I've heard).

The benefit of doing your app early is that you aren't crunched for time at the very end. You could stagger them so that you can give each one the attention it deserves and not have little mistakes because you're pressed for time.

[sareth]

Would this depend on the school and department?

Is it beneficial to finish your app early and submit it?

It does depend on the school and department. For these specific programs I think it can be beneficial (but not essential) to submit early; I received a few offers from schools with rolling admissions before their official application deadlines, so I'd imagine those are slots that wouldn't be available for later applicants.

The benefit of doing your app early is that you aren't crunched for time at the very end. You could stagger them so that you can give each one the attention it deserves and not have little mistakes because you're pressed for time.

I completely agree.

Edited September 23, 2012 by sareth

[Quant_Liz_Lemon]

I agree that it depends on the department and school. But I also think it depends on how competitive your field is and how good your application is. My field is pretty small (i.e. more professors recruiting students than there are rock star students). I suspect that my field is more prone to early admits than a field like clinical where there are many more rock star students than professors recruiting.

However, if you're just an ok applicant then early admission isn't a likely thing, even if you apply early. The profs may not want to give away a slot if a rock star student comes along.