Does an "Early Bird" application have definate ben

Hi,

I dont think the application tool for any school will even let you complete the application in August.

But assuming that they go submit ready by end of August September, next question is do they have rolling basis admissions or only deadline based admissions.

In the case of rolling based admissions, they will start reviewing your application as soon as you submit it giving you an advantage compared to others who apply after you. The classic example is Wake Forest University. They follow rolling admissions and admission decisions are given out within 4 weeks of completing the application. So an early bird has advantage.

In case of normal deadline based admissions, I dont think you have any advantage in applying that early. All applications recieved for a particular deadline are reviewed equally. But one distinct advantage is that you will get interview calls early which means it gives you more time to choose the interview option. (I submitted my UNC application very late. By the time I got an interview call, I had only phone interview available in the tool.)

Hey Vineesh,

Thank you so much for the reply. As far as the prospective schools I am considering, I just saw the deadlines mentioned on their page and their "decision by" date. If the schools have such kind of a system do they mention it on their website?

And I guess the fact that early application submissions might help getting an early interview dare, is very helpful. I didn't really think of it from that point of view.

Thanks again,

Hardik

I would say that if you finish the application early, then yes send it in as their web system allows. The reason why I say this is why submit your application at the end and have it read as part of a huge stack when you can get perhaps a fresher, slower read when there are fewer to review? I am not suggesting this is a huge advantage, but getting a careful read is certainly preferable.

Hardikbheda wrote:Hey Vineesh,

Thank you so much for the reply. As far as the prospective schools I am considering, I just saw the deadlines mentioned on their page and their "decision by" date. If the schools have such kind of a system do they mention it on their website?

And I guess the fact that early application submissions might help getting an early interview dare, is very helpful. I didn't really think of it from that point of view.

Thanks again,

Hardik

There is no definite way of saying so. I just shared my experience. It is really hard to know how Adcoms work behind the scenes.

What Alex says above is also an important way to look at things.

And regarding your question, some schools also have a hybrid mechanism. They have deadlines for rounds, but follow rolling admissions. Take Emory for example. They have deadlines, but they take applications as they come. Probably, they have N number of seats reserved for each round but applications are processed based on when they are received. (Probably).

Thank you for your advice guys.
Appreciate the help.