Why wait?

Excuse my nosiness, but I’m wondering why you haven’t submitted your application yet.

Is it because you only recently decided to apply, and you’re still putting everything together?  In that case, take your time — you have until January 15 at 11:59 p.m.

Is it because you’re waiting for some hidden voice to tell you that the time has come to hit “submit”?  In that case, let me be the hidden voice:  SUBMIT NOW!

Are you somewhere between the two?  Then I want to suggest that you assign yourself a Personal Deadline before January 15, when (if past patterns hold) a thousand of your prospective future classmates will all finally decide to let their applications come through.  We’re prepared for the paper.  And for the constant hum of the printer (more of a “mmmmmswosh, mmmmmswosh”) as each page is printed and shoots out.  And for the bags and bags of mail.  Yes, we’re geared up and ready for the January 15 crush, so I’m not suggesting the Personal Deadline for our benefit.  No, dear applicant, it’s for you.

Why?  Well…first, because teeny little troubles turn into mega-hassles when you wait until the last minute.  A half hour without internet access on January 3 is no big deal.  A half hour without internet access on January 15 is reason to PANIC!

Also, if you submit your application on January 15, it will take a week to ten days before you can confidently check the Graduate Application Management System and expect to find useful information.  Those 1,000 applications and all the transcripts, test scores, etc. that go with them need to be linked up, and that just takes time.  Organization, and time.  Organization, and time, and file folders.

If you adopt the Personal Deadline approach and submit your application on, say, January 5, we’ll have all your materials in a tidy folder within a couple of days.  We make every effort to keep up with the paper flow, and we’re going to jump on the opportunity to put your file together.

So, please.  Open up your calendar, be it electronic or paper.  Turn to a convenient pre-January 15 page, and assign yourself a Personal Deadline.  While your prospective future classmates FREAK OUT on the 15th, you can sip a frothy cappuccino and relax.