Reasons to Start Your Applications Early (2015 Edition)

[Dr. Old Bill]

This has come up amidst a couple of other recent threads, not to mention some of the older "advice" threads, so it probably warrants its own thread at this point.

 

There are MANY great reasons to start your applications early. As in now. Other current and former applicants can certainly confirm this, and will hopefully add some more reasons, but here are a few key ones off the top of my head:

 

• It's going to save you from a lot of stress in the long run. This is kind of obvious, but the more you can get done now, the less you have to worry about later. This means that while you're working away on polishing your SOP and WS, you won't have to worry about the time-consuming process of inputting countless pages of biographical information.
   
• All applications are different. This is literally true, just as much as it is figuratively true. Even programs that use the same general software will have vastly different requirements and expectations. If you are doing a bunch of applications at the last minute, you might very well overlook some of the nuances of application requirements (like what format they want your transcripts in, for instance).
   
• Transcript requirements vary. This is an important sub-point of the above item. As mentioned in another thread, some programs require that transcripts are ONLY in black and white (in other words, you'll generally need to have a hard copy and scan it in as "greyscale"). Others require transcripts as .pdfs AND as direct mailings. Others don't want transcripts mailed to them at all. Some want only the official transcripts. Others are fine with unofficial / web transcripts. All these finicky little details take time to sort out...so doing an application every few days or so is remarkably helpful.
   
• Letter-writers need time. If you are planning on applying to, say, a dozen programs, and decide to do all of your applications on December 1st, how much time will this give your letter-writers to upload every letter? Even if you've given them all advance warning, and they've theoretically completed all of their letters, it can take a lot of time for them to actually upload those letters. We're talking about English professors, after all: wonderful, wonderful people, but not typically known for their computational prowess. And if they happen to have procrastinated on writing your letters, those first couple of weeks in December, waiting to see if they've finally managed to upload their kind and essential words about you, can be agonizing. Save yourself that trouble by starting applications early and sending the recommender links.
   
• You don't have to complete an application in one sitting. At least, none of the applications I've completed have forced this. In most cases, I was able to fill out a chunk of information, save it, then come back to it later. In other words, it's a fluid process, and even if you haven't completed your SOP, CV, or WS, or haven't received your GRE scores yet, getting the finicky personal details out of the way will invariably save you time in the long run.
   
• You don't have to pay until it's submitted. No money? No problem. Well, until you actually click on the "submit" button, that is. But this works both ways: if you submit a couple of applications each week, you're paying up to maybe $250 per week, as opposed to shelling out upwards of $1200 in a short span of time (using the "ten applications" model above). It's the same amount of money over all, but for some it is a heck of a lot more convenient to spread out the payments...
   
• They take longer than you think. No, seriously -- even if you're thinking "Oh, they'll just take around an hour each, so I can bang 'em all out in a day," you're probably wrong. Normally they do take around an hour on average, but there are too many variables to list here...and any variable can cause a long delay. Even little things like quickly re-reading your SOP (or even your WS) after it has been uploaded tacks on time...and it's important to give all documents at least a quick once-over after they've been uploaded to make sure you haven't written "Stanford" instead of "Princeton" somewhere. Minutiae like that can instantly render your application worthless.
   
• Applications and finals don't mix. If you're currently working on a BA or MA, there's a good chance that you'll have term papers, final exams, presentations, or other stress-inducing items for you to deal with. Do you really want to feel the pressure of current school deadlines with application deadlines at the same time? The answer is no, no you do not.
   
• You'll feel better about yourself. Perhaps this sounds sentimental, but it shouldn't be discounted. As Unraed pointed out in another thread, there's something to be said for having actually started or even completed your application. It makes the process more "real" than it was before. Seriously, seeing an email come through with the subject line "Thank you for applying to Harvard" (or institution of your choice) is an instant rush, no matter how stoic you may be.

 

This is merely a sample of good reasons why you should start your applications sooner rather than later. There are many others that I have either decided not to mention, or simply haven't thought about. I'm sure others will chime in with nuggets of equal or greater wisdom.

 

 

P.S.: Incidentally, as I was writing this post -- in mid-October, no less -- I received an email notification telling me that one of my letter-writers has uploaded her LOR. Because I had started all of my applications, I was able to send her all of the upload links, and she opted to take Fall Break as her opportunity to write and submit her letters on my behalf. Sure beats worrying about it in December...

Edited October 14, 2014 by Wyatt's Torch

[Gvh]

I would also add: spreadsheets are your friend. Use them! 

 

Seriously though, I don't know how people keep track of everything without a well-organized spreadsheet. 

[ImHis]

I would add under LOR, there are those who agree and never submit and ignored your calls, emails and scheduled hours so doing it early can also save you the stress and grieving process.

[mikers86]

Drafting/editing your SOP/WS for every single program, because no two programs have the same requirements. Obviously. Word count limits, page limits (counting or not counting Works Cited), double spaced, single spaced, font size, PDF, Word document. No two applications will ever look the same for these two documents. Your WS is perfect and 20 pages? Chances are that at least one school cuts you off at 15 pages. Or even 10 pages. Or my favorite, the wonderfully vague "somewhere between 12 and 25 pages" (looking at you, Stanford). Crafting and tailoring these documents for every application is extremely demanding, so if you can figure out what each program requires, say now, it will make your life slightly easier down the road. (Make sure if you're copying and pasting that you actually change the name of the program) I "tried" to do one set of docs each weekend, though when you're grading 25 essays or reading 25 drafts or conferencing 25 students or lesson planning, it's harder to be that efficient. So start now 

[Dr. Old Bill]

Yes, that's a great point Mikers! I have folders for every institution I'm applying to, and each folder contains its own customized SOP and WS. I also keep a master spreadsheet of all places I'm applying to and their various requirements. Somehow I've managed to have a WS with a page count in the "sweet spot" of all the places I'm applying to. The one exception is Princeton, which states "25 pages," but an email to the DGS received a reply that a 20-page sample would be considered as well. Font types and sizes can help in this regard too, though professors aren't stupid, of course -- they'll notice if your 15 pages is in 8-point font to preserve space.

[bsharpe269]

Great points, I would also add that at minimum, I advise looking through each applicaiton now. I was shocked this weekend to find that one of my applications wants a page long research description for every project Ive done (which is like 4). Some schools will ask for random extra time consuming stuff.

 

Edit: I saw this on the side bar and didnt realize it was in the English subforum! Sorry! This comment still may be relevent though.

Edited October 14, 2014 by bsharpe269

[hypervodka]

My favorite undergrad trick: fudge the character spacing not the font size. If need be, this is the most undetectable method of paper stretching, if you're running just below.

[queennight]

From the opposite end of the spectrum - I certainly have not started my applications early, and will most likely experience all of the aforementioned negative side effects of having to cram the entire process into a couple weeks. But in the words of my most honorable homeboy Drake, yolo.