Do Colleges Review Applications Before the Deadline?

Q: Do colleges wait until the deadline to start reviewing materials? Or do they review them as the students' applications are finalized (all documents received)? I ask this because I'm applying to a school with a Nov. 1 deadline but my stuff has been in since Oct. 1. The college notifies on Dec. 15. If they didn't start reviewing my file (and anyone else whose was in early) how are they going to consider thousands of applications in 45 days? It seems impossible considering there are only about 10 people listed on the admissions staff.

A: Colleges have different protocols when it comes to how and when their candidates are evaluated. But, just as you've suggested, in order to survive the post-deadline rush, it's common for admission officials to start reviewing applications before a fixed deadline, if the file is complete. Note, however, that the college folks create their own definition of "complete," and thus might read and rate an application before every component has arrived. For instance, if the school expects two teacher references, a folder might still be read with only one of them. Yet, when the second reference shows up, it won't be ignored. The admission officers will still see it and then determine if it could affect an initial verdict. Of course, a folder is never called "complete" if critical information like a transcript or test scores (where required) is still missing.

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