What is a deadline, anyway?

Is the deadline when the application has to be in the hands of the admissions office? Is it when my application should be floating through the air, on its way to the admissions office? Or is it the date that I should give my teachers their recommendation forms?

No, yes, and definitely not.

The November 1 deadline is a postmark deadline, meaning that your materials should be postmarked by November 1. If you are applying online, you should click the "submit" button sometime on or before November 1.

Standardized test scores do not have to be in our hands by November 1. You do not have to send the scores by November 1. You only need to have taken the test by November 1. If your scores come out on November 2, 14, or 100, but you took the test before November 1, you will be absolutely fine. This is the same for the regular notification deadline of January 2.

Please do not rush your scores. Rushed scores come to us on paper, which must be entered by hand. Scores that are reported normally come to us electronically, which upload automatically. Even if you think you are very late, your scores will come to us faster when you do not rush them!

Just a friendly note from an admissions counselor who is getting a lot of worried emails.