New blog post on When to Apply to Columbia RD

Thanks for the tip, Adam. Do you think 10/22 or so versus 11/1 really makes a meaningful difference? I'm waiting on one recommender to submit and could ask her to do so on 11/1 if it truly makes a difference.

Two ways to answer this:

Does it really make a difference in that your application odds would flip upside-down over 10 days? No.

Does it really make a difference in that it could be a tiebreaker type of thing for an app that is "close"? Yes, I believe.

Put yourself in the shoes of the person reading the file. They don't just stop reading ED apps on October 3 - there is no way they are even close to being caught up, even now. CBS does a good (and aggressive) job of reviewing files as they come in, but given the influx between about Sept 26 and Oct 3 and you have to imagine they are hundreds of files behind and playing catch-up all through October. So there's a decent chance that if your file goes "complete" today, it will get batched out for reviews while they are still reading ED files. So you might be reviewed right after they read someone who was willing to commit to Columbia. If it's a close call, who would they side with? Of course the other person. This is why I think it's best to let the ED wave come through, clear out, and be done and over with. Nov 1 has always felt pretty safe from that standpoint.

Hope this helps. And just to clarify, it's not like you can't get in if you apply RD in October. I had a client do it last year; he wanted to get it in early and have it off his plate, regardless of the above points. And he still got in, so it's totally possible. But when you are looking at schools this elite and selective, every tiny advantage is worth considering.

Best,
-Adam

Two ways to answer this:

Does it really make a difference in that your application odds would flip upside-down over 10 days? No.

Does it really make a difference in that it could be a tiebreaker type of thing for an app that is "close"? Yes, I believe.

Put yourself in the shoes of the person reading the file. They don't just stop reading ED apps on October 3 - there is no way they are even close to being caught up, even now. CBS does a good (and aggressive) job of reviewing files as they come in, but given the influx between about Sept 26 and Oct 3 and you have to imagine they are hundreds of files behind and playing catch-up all through October. So there's a decent chance that if your file goes "complete" today, it will get batched out for reviews while they are still reading ED files. So you might be reviewed right after they read someone who was willing to commit to Columbia. If it's a close call, who would they side with? Of course the other person. This is why I think it's best to let the ED wave come through, clear out, and be done and over with. Nov 1 has always felt pretty safe from that standpoint.

Hope this helps. And just to clarify, it's not like you can't get in if you apply RD in October. I had a client do it last year; he wanted to get it in early and have it off his plate, regardless of the above points. And he still got in, so it's totally possible. But when you are looking at schools this elite and selective, every tiny advantage is worth considering.

Best,
-Adam

Sorry for repeating that last post!