Let me first state that this post has absolutely nothing to do with Early Action, which we will cover in a future post. I repeat, this has nothing to do with Early Action. Today I want to talk about the timing of applications.
First, let me state that I love it when students apply before our deadlines. This makes life easier for UGA, the high school counselor, the parents, and the student. When you give yourself a generous amount of time to complete an application, no one gets too frantic. And let me tell you, I am amazed by the number of students who apply between 10 pm and midnight the day of the deadline. What happens if your internet connection goes down, or kid brother needs the computer for a homework assignment, or you just fall asleep?
But there are people on the other end of the spectrum. Every year, we watch to see how long it takes from the time we open the online application until someone hits submit. One year it was roughly12 minutes from the opening bell until first submission. A small group of people think that if they are one of the first people to submit their application, their chances of actual admission are better. WRONG!! There is no golden ticket for being the first one to apply! While I stand by the statement that we love applicants who don’t wait until deadline day, we do not favor the first ones in line. We treat all applicants the same, whether they apply in August or mid-January (though when I read an essay that seems rushed, I do look to see when it was submitted).
The main thing is to give yourself plenty of time to apply before the deadline, make sure all your information is correct, and check to make sure all required materials are submitted (see our Status Check). If nothing else, this will stop your parents from asking “Have you sent in your UGA application yet?”