For those of you who haven't yet finished submitting applications -- and your parents -- here's some great guidance from one of our favorite deans: Jeannine Lalonde of University of Virginia. We couldn't agree more with her recent post on Notes from Peabody. Check it out here. And, FYI, we have extensive and detailed commentary on the Common Application in our book, Chapter 14, The Application Form.
We're taking some time off for the holidays. We suggest you do, too -- as soon as you hit Send for any applications you haven't yet finished. We'll be back in 2012 with more expert advice, conversation, and comic relief to help you get from application to acceptance, step by step, including lots of our signature input from deans of admission, college counselors, and other experts. So relax, enjoy your break, and we'll see you next year...
If you applied under an early decision, early action or restrictive early action plan, don't miss our series of posts on the next steps if you were accepted, deferred, or denied. And don't miss our advice on doing the right thing here.
And if you did not jump on the early bandwagon and opted for applying under a regular decision plan, don't miss our debunking of the media madness headlines that you're seeing lately. All the seats at the schools on your list have not been taken by early admits. No need to panic. We explain and do the math here.
We have three terrific experts featured here this month and we wanted to take one more opportunity to bring them to your attention! In case you missed them, take the time to read our Q & A's with Kenyon Dean of Admissions Jennifer Delahunty and Pine Crest School college counselor Marcia Hunt, as well as the post featuring Vanderbilt Admissions Dean Doug Christiansen on the role of volunteer work in an admission decision. These are consummate experts with advice helpful to all students and families going through the application process.
Before we exit the subject of early admission this week, we'd like to leave you with a final thought in this excerpt from our book: Students: Do the Right Thing! You have applied under early action, rolling admission, or restrictive early action and you’re in. Congratulations. We now encourage you to do the right thing. If you know you will not enroll at some of the other colleges on your list, don’t apply to them. Go back through that original list and cross off those schools. Or, if you’ve already sent in your applications, let those colleges know your plans. Don’t collect trophies in the form of admission letters from colleges you will never attend. There are some exceptions to this rule. Some colleges very much want to make their case to you even if you have been admitted to another college under rolling admission, early action, or restrictive early action. If there are schools on your list you can still imagine you might attend, feel welcome to keep your options alive provided you are open to the case those colleges will make. And if you need to compare financial aid or merit scholarship awards, you will definitely want to proceed with applications to the other schools on your list. As you can see, this isn’t simple. But matters of integrity rarely are.
What can students do if they are denied admission under early decision, early action, or restrictive early action? If you are denied under ED, EA, or REA, this decision is final and you will not be reconsidered. You cannot reapply for consideration under a regular decision plan. A denial under an early plan may seem harsh, coming at this time of year, right around the holidays. But accept it as valuable guidance. The school is sending you a strong signal early on that you’re not in the running and will be best served by placing your attention elsewhere— on your applications to the other wonderful schools on your list. So, first and foremost, proceed with completing your applications to the other schools on your list. Move on and let yourself get excited about these other schools! Remember, too, as we cautioned yesterday, to be in close touch with your teachers and counselors who are writing your recommendations before the winter break. Be sure all your recommenders are prepared to send out more letters to the remaining schools on your list before school lets out for the holidays. A further note: We are sometimes asked whether a student who has been denied ED and has another school high on their list that offers two rounds of ED may apply for that second round.
Today, we look at next steps for students who have been deferred under an under early decision (ED), early action (EA), or restrictive early action (REA) plan. Deferred under Early Decision, Early Action, or Restrictive Early Action If deferred under ED, EA or REA, students are placed in the regular admission pool for later consideration. You do not have to reapply, but there are some actions you should be taking at the school where you have been deferred if that school remains a top choice for you:
Every day this week, we'll be posting a series of "Next Steps" for students who have applied early and are receiving their notifications. First up, next steps for students who have been admitted -- Congratulations! -- under early decision (ED), early action (EA), or restrictive early action (REA). But first let us say that we're so happy you will have one more thing to celebrate over the holiday break! And when you catch your breath, here are some steps to address... Early Action and Restrictive Early Action EA and REA programs are nonbinding and students have until May 1 to inform the college whether they will enroll.
Early Decision ED programs are binding and students must enroll if accepted.
Does Early Decision Fill Most of the Seats in the Freshman Class? Get ready for a slew of headlines trumpeting the arrival of decisions for those who applied under early action or early decision plans. Some students have already begun to receive their decisions for this admission season and more will hear in the coming week. For students who opted to take advantage of the additional time afforded by applying regular decision, this time may nevertheless be worrisome as the media trumpet stories about the record numbers of early applicants. One of the most persistent storylines is that early decision fills most of the seats in the freshman class. NOT! Read on in this excerpt from the book to understand the real story: “The college you’re applying to has filled half its freshman class with early decision applicants!” You may have heard things like this and worried there won’t be enough room left if you apply under regular decision. But this is a case where the numbers are deceiving. Let’s do the math. The question is not how many seats are being taken up in the class by applicants who applied under early decision. The question is, what percentage of the school’s total admission offers is already gone? It sounds incredible, but it’s true that even when half the seats are filled with ED applicants, fewer than half the acceptances have been given out. Here’s how it works.
In the wake of the Long Island, New York, standardized-test cheating scandal, Jacques Steinberg at the New York Times' Choice blog has posted an informative dialogue with Ray Nicosia, director of testing integrity for the Educational Testing Service, which administers the SAT. Twenty students now face charges of fraud and impersonation in a scandal encompassing both the SAT and ACT. The students either paid others to take the tests for them or impersonated students in taking the tests. In Questions for the SAT’s Top Cop, Steinberg and Nicosia discuss the testing service's security measures as well as how students -- and even parents -- can report irregularities or suspicions of cheating.
