We'll just have to agree to disagree on this.
It was already discussed earlier in the thread. The deadline is entirely arbitrary. There is no operational reason for it. And, they are making exceptions, based on nothing other than how motivated people are to call or e-mail and beg.
Unfair, unreasonable and arbitrary. I think it's oboxious. You don't. Agree to disagree. 🙂
Looks like we're gonna beat the dead horse:
1. Fair - Every person has the same deadline from when they receive the secondary. Every person is given the same warning. No person can affect when or if they receive the secondary.
2. Reasonable - Combined max length (including situational prompts) is under 1000 words. 14 days for 1k words or 4 pages is a deadline comparable to if not more lenient than a college writing course.
3. Arbitrary - Sure, I'll give you this one. They don't explain why they have it. It could just be they are looking for applicants who read directions and follow them, but that's my conjecture. But the important thing is that UCLA is one of the few schools that does this. Nothing is forcing people to apply to UCLA.
Obnoxious? Because it's a hard cutoff? Not everything in life offers a second chance. As someone earlier pointed out, if you don't submit your rank list on time (
planning ahead for unforeseen circumstances/technical problems) you can't resubmit it. We're all adults ... time to be responsible and prove it.
I empathize with people who miss this deadline. Still, it doesn't help to lambast it as cruel when it isn't. It's strict. Oh well ... so are many parts of medicine.
To anyone struggling with deadlines or managing the flood, it's normal and ok. This process is long and complex, with many moving pieces. Keep track of secondary dates and deadlines in a spreadsheet or text document, and prioritize
, prioritize, PRIORITIZE schools with deadlines. Submit
before the deadline if you can. Another few hours of edits aren't worth risking the chance to apply.
