Early Decision and Spring Transfer Application Deadlines Extended to Nov. 8
We Admit It! We’ve been hearing the chatter (both electronic and actual) regarding some of the challenges surrounding submission of the new Common Application. We understand that applying to college is already a stressful process, and we don’t want technical issues to make the process even more so. In an effort to provide students with the flexibility and time necessary to complete their applications, and to allow students to complete their applications in a manner that allows them to feel like they’ve put their best foot forward, we have extended our Early Decision and Spring Transfer Application deadlines to November 8.
If you have already submitted your application or intend to do so in the coming days, that is perfectly fine. We are confident that we will be able to process applications appropriately as they come in and welcome any application that students wish to submit before the extended deadline. Once we flip the switch and begin to process submitted applications, a new blog will be posted providing information on that process and how students and families can be made aware of their application status.
We know the next question is likely whether or not the extended deadline will impact our decision release dates for ED and Spring Transfer applications. We don’t have an answer to that question at this point. We will simply have to see how the process unfolds. We believe that if we are not able to release Early Decision results by December 1 (historically our goal for ED decision release) we will still be able to release decisions by early December which has always been our stated timeline. Likewise, Spring Transfer decisions should still be able to be released in mid-December. The release might simply be a few days later than has been the norm heretofore.
All of us in the W&M Undergraduate Admission Office remain committed to maintaining the nuanced, comprehensive application review process every student deserves. We hope that extending the application deadline allows students to maintain the level of commitment and thoroughness they wish to put into their individual applications.
Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Associate Dean of Admission
Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.
Thank you so much for the update. Does this mean that the arts supplement deadline has been extended as well?
@Lauren, yes. The extension applies to all application components. Now things just need to be submitted or postmarked by November 8. If however things are ready for submission earlier, they can certainly be submitted earlier.
That is good to know. Thank you!
I have already submitted my application, but my counselor and teachers are having trouble submitting my transcripts and recommendations. They now plan to send them via snail mail. Is this okay?
@Quinlin, the extension applies to counselors and teachers too. So they now have time to resolve the issues with submitting online through the Common App. If they continue to have trouble, they can submit via snail mail.
Thanks so much for the update. I was able to submit my application last Tuesday. Is it too early to expect a confirmation email? I just wanted to double-check given the problems with the Common App. Thank you!
@Jenny, glad you were able to submit your application. We look forward to reviewing it. As the second paragraph of the blog notes, we have not yet begun to process applications and therefore haven’t sent any confirmation emails yet. Look for updates on that through this blog and out website. As soon as students can expect emails from us we’ll make that announcement.
Thank you so much! This is really good news and a huge relief. I have one question, though. Hypothetically speaking, if two applications were identical in rigor, grades, extracurricular activities, and essays, would an application submitted on November 1st be favored over an application submitted on November 8th?
@Chad, no two applicants are ever totally identical but the date on which the application was submitted doesn’t have any effect on the decision made. We do however encourage any student who is ready to submit their application do so when that time comes. That way any glitches that may arise can be resolved before the deadline and it helps to get you application processed (meaning downloaded and completed) in a timely manner.
This blog is so helpful. Thank you for taking the extra time – it makes a difference. Can you talk more about “application status?” With all the things you need to receive from so many sources and now with the Common App having difficulties – how does an applicant know if you have received everything you need to process an application?
@LMB, we’ll blog extensively about this when the time comes (likely next week) but we’ve always matched applications and accompanying materials from a variety of sources and have a detailed system in place to do so. We communicate with applicants and their parents through a series if emails. Details to come in the next blog post.
Sounds good. Glad to know emails will confirm his status. It’s our first child going through this process so we don’t know how it all comes together. There are so many moving pieces it seems a herculean task for you to keep everyone/thing straight. Just a note – his common application went through just fine. Hope everyone else encounters smooth sailing too.
@LMB, totally understand. There’s a lot of anxiety around this process. The good news for W&M is we get that sometimes things just go awry. So if for any reason something doesn’t arrive we just let the student know and ask them to resend. Just keep an eye on your inbox for those emails as soon as we begin to send them. They’ll help calm some nerves!