...But The Second Mouse Usually Gets The Cheese!


Yes, Common App, portal to more than 600 college applications, goes "live" on August 1. And so, the college application season officially begins. Or so you thought...

As my colleague, Nancy Griesemer, reports inThe Examiner, some colleges are willing to accept your applications even earlier.
READ, Colleges ready and willing to accept applications for fall 2016

Yes, it's like doing your Christmas/Chanukah shopping in July. You'll buy those presents early, be done with your shopping (even if what seems to be that perfect gift in the heat of August turns out to be a dud when the winds of December blow cold), but, no matter how early you shop, you still can't gift those goodies until the holidays!

Keep in mind, most colleges will not so much as look at an application until it is "complete," meaning that they not only have your application, but also your transcripts, Guidance Report, letters of recommendation, score reports, etc. Most of these will not be ready to go, let alone sent to colleges, until the end of September, at the earliest.

So why are colleges eager for you to start the application process yesterday? Just another gimmick to garner more applications. The more applications, the greater the number of students colleges can deny. The more denials, the lower the acceptance rates. The lower the acceptance rates, the higher the colleges move in those all-important (to them) college rankings. [And, of course, to many a college, that application fee is an added bonus!]

Don't rush those applications! The idea is not just to apply, but to get in. And to apply and get in to a school that's a best fit for you, not U.S. News, Forbes, or Princeton Review.

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