When to apply?

[soleprovider14]

I realized recently that during this entire process of deadlines, LORs, SoPs, GREs, etc. a very simple thing came up that I hadn't thought of.

When should one apply?

It sounds like a stupid question but most of the schools I am looking at have deadlines in December or January, and most don't have rolling admissions. When is a good time to apply, do many people apply as soon as possible (September)? Is it worth to continue working on the SoP and Writing Sample until about a month before the deadlines and then submit the applications?

For those who have already gone through this process, has applying either very early, or very late affected your admissions?

[curious]

It does not matter so long as you apply on time by the deadline. What matters is that you submit a quality application on time. If you have written the best essay you possibly can by September 30 then wouldn't there be every reason to just apply then and then move on with your life to doing more interesting things? But if what you are getting at is the question of whether you will be advantaged in the admissions process if you apply earlier rather than later, I don't think there's any evidence of that. For several schools I got admitted to I applied a day before the deadline. You might think that if you submit early you'll appear to be on top of things; of course the flip side of that is that if you submit early and the committee thinks there are clear weaknesses or sloppiness in your app, then they might wonder why you didn't take the full amount of time to write a good one.

I know that some schools might have a lower application fee if you apply by a specified date earlier than a university-wide deadline, so if money is tight that may be a consideration for you depending on where you are applying. It's worth noting that most admissions committees won't actually see your application until January or February anyway because they aren't meeting before that time, so it isn't going to matter if you submit it in September for a December deadline because nobody's going to be reading it then anyway.

Whatever you do, don't make this deadline thing a mindgame, because it really isn't. Some things about this process are actually (and it might seem incredibly, given how random it can seem) straightforward. Deadlines are one of them. The only problem you can possibly get into with them is submitting late. Don't waste your mental energy on this.

[synthla]

I was in a lull at work last summer so had a lot of the legwork done early on. As a result I had all of my applications in by late September, but I don't think it made a bit of difference, except allowing me to stop worrying about it and move on. Although I have to say that I'm very happy I didn't discover these forums until after the deadlines had all passed.

[misterpat]

They don't look at them until at least January. So, provided that your materials are on time, I doubt it really matters. I've heard that something like half of the applications arrive within the last week before the due date.

[misterpat]

I was in a lull at work last summer so had a lot of the legwork done early on. As a result I had all of my applications in by late September, but I don't think it made a bit of difference, except allowing me to stop worrying about it and move on. Although I have to say that I'm very happy I didn't discover these forums until after the deadlines had all passed.

A worthy incentive to consider. I plan on worrying less this time around, which will certainly mean less time spent freaking-out with the neurotics who post here (I don't mean anything by this - my post count shows I'm as guilty as anyone).