Let’s get real about the deadline

Hey there friends.  I’m here for my annual sisyphean task of imploring you to avoid being among the zillion applicants who submit their applications on the January 10 deadline.

Sure, you don’t want to send us an application before it reaches its optimal state.  I get that.  But twelve days remain between you and the deadline, which is plenty of time to organize yourself to submit the pieces of the application under your control (i.e. not your recommendations) before the last minute.  If you were to click submit before we arrive for work on Friday, January 6, you would know by the end of the day what pieces of your application (if any) are missing.  Awesome, right?  On the other hand, if you submit your application in the seconds before the deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST (UTC -5) on January 10, you will wait in line until we have a chance to review your application.

There it is, my best advice for you.  Go ahead and listen to me.  Submit early and relax, deservedly smug in the knowledge that plenty of others will be stressing.