Gasp, Gasp...Pant, Pant

My work is keeping me insanely busy right now, and trying to pull through to the finish line on the school applications, is well, quite the race against the clock.

HDS Statement of Purpose: Am doing another set of edits, thanks to the good editing advice of 3+ reviewers (thanks folks!). I am down to just being 378 306 words over the limit instead of 550+ words over the limit, and the writing is much stronger now. Those last 378 306 words...it is like pulling teeth, however. I don't feel like I can cut much more. I might just submit it as is over the word limit (yikes!). How bad do you think that would be?

HDS Essay: Written, and reviewed by a few reviewers, but I haven't even begun my edits!

HDS General Application: Most of it is done, but there are some significant pieces on which I need to get to work.

HDS Financial Aid Application: I need to make some tough strategical decision about the FASFA, finish that up, and then locate and plug in a few more numbers on the application (oh no...and also mail a copy of my W-2 I think...eeeks!)

I was hoping to submit the HDS stuff early, but it looks like it will be on time at best. The absolute latest deadline for the HDS application, including the financial aid application is Monday. I should submit it on Sunday in case there are any problems with the website (servers do crash when lots of folks rush to use them at once afterall) or other technical issues.

THEN...

YDS Statement of Purpose: Not even begun! I am hoping some of my HDS statement of purpose will smoothly transfer, and this one won't be nearly as painful and time consuming to write (oh pretty, pretty please!).

YDS Essay: I've begun writing, and as usual have written a lot, but have yet to find a focus or really get anything accomplished.

YDS General Application: It's about half done. Maybe.

YDS Financial Aid Application: The good news is that once the FASFA is done, it is done for all schools. Since the HDS deadline is days away, including for the FASFA, I will have that done very soon. (done)

The YDS-specific financial aid application I have not yet started, but the deadline is in late February or early March if memory serves (does it ever?), so I could even wait until after I get the application materials submitted to ANTS and MLTS before coming back to this item.

The YDS deadline is exactly one week away...next Friday the 15th. Which means I should submit at the very, very latest on Thursday. Thank goodness I can put off that financial aid stuff and buckle down on these writing tasks. OMG!

That leaves ANTS and MLTS, of which I have done very little, but I am not even going to think about them until after the 15th. They have rolling admissions, and at this point I will be happy if I get them done by the 25th or 30th.