How early to send in applications???

[PhDHopefulVA]

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Hi all-I'm currently working on my applications for next fall, most of which have December deadlines. Is it extremely important to send them in early...and how early? I won't be taking the psych gre until November, so can I send in the other materials before that? Or is it safe to wait until after that?

Help!

Thanks!

 

[psyed4clinPhD]

I am in the same boat as you with taking the GREs in a couple months. However, I have started to fill my apps out and completed some online already. I will send in GRE scores when I can. That is just my thinking though...

 

[twilson]

Yes, I was wondering the same thing.. I am retaking the GRE Oct 3 and wanted to see if I should start filling out apps..I guess I will as a knock out personal statements 😛

 

[PhDHopefulVA]

Anybody want to just share when they are sending in their applications so we can all compare since nobody seems to know?

 

[JP West]

I thought I would offer some words of wisdom after having done a work study in a graduate school admissions office collecting and filing applications....

You can send in pieces of you application separately if the program gives you the O.K., However, don't count on a bored student filing documents to double check your folder for you. Assume that the office is not perfectly organized, and has tons of letters and papers floating around (especially right before applications are due). Try to send materials in as few mailings as possible, and call to confirm that your materials have been received. Take the name of the person who you speak to just in case.

Good Luck!

 

[psychgirl77]

Anybody want to just share when they are sending in their applications so we can all compare since nobody seems to know?

It doesn't really matter when you send in your applications as long as you get them in before the deadline. Schools don't typically start looking at them until after the deadline.

Of course, if you are applying to a school with rolling admissions, that would be different and I would assume the earlier the better.

 

[Ollie123]

What psychgirl said - it onlywould only matter if they do rolling admissions. Though I've never heard of a school doing rolling admissions, but it never hurts to check. At least for most PhD programs it wouldn't make any sense - the vast majority of the time only 1 slot is available in a lab, so the faculty members surely want to make sure they go through the full pool and pick out the best candidate.

 

[PrisonPsych]

Anybody want to just share when they are sending in their applications so we can all compare since nobody seems to know?

My timeline:

Regular GRE 9/29
Mail forms to my recommenders ~10/1, ask them to try to have them back by 11/1, 11/15 at the latest (my earliest deadline is 12/1)
Psych GRE 10/10
Do application/statement portions of applications between 10/1 and 11/1
Start mailing in applications as soon as I have recommendations back for schools that don't require the Psych GRE
Mail in applications that require the Psych GRE as soon as I have that score back.