You can submit your app anytime up until the deadline, but they won't consider it until it's complete. Since you have an official GMAT score, they will consider your current score unless you tell them another one's on the way.

Have you already retaken the GMAT? When are your apps due?

I haven't retaken it yet - I am retaking it on Jan 19th. Since you have to wait about 20 days until the AWA scores are avaliable, that puts me at mid-February until I can submit my application. For the full time programs and some of the part time programs, that is the last deadline. I am applying to part time UCLA, USC, UC San Diego and Berkeley, and full time Stanford and Harvard.

You don't have to WAIT until then to submit your app; they just won't consider it until then. So submit it well ahead of time, along with your unofficial GMAT score. Don't add to any potential delays by waiting until you think they'll get your score to apply.

What was your first AWA score? Are your application essays well-written? They might not care so much about AWA (they usually don't even give it any weight unless you score below 4.0) if yuor essays and recs are good.

Thats true; I should submit it when I finish it. My AWA score was a 6.0 last time. It's just that I know I should retake the GMAT (and have signed up) but hope that retaking the test is more beneficial than turning my applications in before the last round. I really hope that turning them in later deosn't hurt me. However, I would never know if it did.