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Is there a difference between applying in September and applying in October? From what I understand they don't start reading applications until early November at the earliest anyway, so there is no practical difference--does anyone know if this is true, particularly at Harvard? Also, when is the earliest one can practically send in an application to schools--are people already sending in stuff? Finally, is there a difference between applying in October and applying in November?

I don't think anyone except the admissions committees can say for sure, but general consensus (see FAQ thread) is that before Halloween is super early, and before Thanksgiving is early.

And yes, people are already sending things in.

Hmm...does anyone know if it makes a difference to send stuff in now vs. October though? I know it is hard to say, but I've heard some people say it literally makes no difference (since reading doesnt start until november anyway) but others say it does. Would anyone know based on any personal experience, especially for HYSCCN?

Can't remember where but i read that it is actually slightly disadvantageous to be the first applicant to hit the submit button. Mainly because adcomms haven't established what kind of applicant pool they will receive for the year. With no basis for comparison, they might be slightly more critical of an average/slightly above average app. My guess is this wouldn't matter for schools you consider safeties though, since you are likely to be put in the auto-admit pile.

thanks, that's interesting, and good to know considering i haven't started apps yet =)

Early October is probably early enough in my opinion (assuming everything is perfect). If you can submit earlier with everything perfect go for it though. Probably better to wait a week and proofread though, since you don't get too much of advantage at most schools, if any, though.