Application Deadlines

[RedViper]

Hey Everybody! I hope you all are having a productive application season.

I was just wondering, is it worth it to submit an application before a deadline?

On the one hand, I've heard that if you submit your application well in advance of the deadline, it helps your application to stand out.

On the other hand, I would like to have as much time as possible to keep working on my application, and to keep improving it.

So I was wondering, what do people think about submitting applications in advance of the deadline?

[ἠφανισμένος]

Unless the department does rolling admissions -- where they look at applications as they come in -- I don't think submitting early really helps. In most cases, adcoms have a set deadline for fall admissions and look at applications all at once after that deadline has passed. Of course, submitting at the absolute last minute can be risky: if you have any problems or questions, there may not be anyone available (if it's a Jan. 1 deadline, for example). So it's not a bad idea to submit before the university closes for winter break, so you could contact the graduate school or the department secretary if necessary.

[peachypie]

I would say that submitting before certainly won't hurt you in any way.  I'd also recommend to submit at least a bit before the deadline since if something comes up or it takes a few days to populate into their system then you'll be happy to know everything is set before they start looking at applications.  I submitted most of mine at least a week or so before the final deadline only because I was ready.  I wouldn't be submitting the night before they are due only for your own piece of mind (because weird things happen on online applications every so often) and also it just gives you time to systematically go through and take care of everything.  

I'd work on your applications as much as you can now, once you get to a certain point though you aren't going to be changing a lot.  The earliest deadlines are usually November 30th/December 1st.  So you have plenty of time, maybe try to get things done so you an enjoy a bit of time off around thanksgiving.  

Best of luck.

[Vene]

The biggest advantage I had to submitting early was that I was able to contact the graduate offices to ensure that they had all the materials in hand. The extra time allowed me to fix some minor snags that popped up.