College and Career Conversations

THE COLLEGE WAITING GAME

What to Expect as You Wait for Your College Admission Decisions 

Once you have completed your college applications, the next step is to await notification on each school’s decision regarding your admission. During this process, there are plenty of other tasks to be completed (e.g., scholarship applications, financial aid, campus visits, career exploration, etc.), but it is still a bit of a waiting game. Knowing what to expect during this stage of the college application process may help ease some of the tension while you await word from your schools.

If you submitted an application for early admission, their notification will usually come in December, before winter break, or in January, at the latest. For students who applied for standard admissions, decisions may come anywhere between January and mid-April, depending on the school, the volume of applications they received that year, and whether they have rolling admissions (where they consider each applicant as they receive his/her application). Each school or program to which you submitted a completed application package will send a letter announcing whether you have been accepted, denied admission, deferred, or placed on a waiting list.

• ACCEPTANCE: Once you receive decisions, and hopefully acceptances, from the colleges to which you have applied, it is now time to make a few decisions of your own. After you review all of the information available to you about each individual college, including campus culture, facilities, faculty, costs, and financial aid packages, it is time to decide which school/program is the best fit. Decision Day for most schools is May 1^st, so make sure to submit all paperwork and deposits to your selected school by then. Keep in mind that even though you have received your letter(s), it is still important to do your very best as you complete your senior year. Most admissions decisions are granted with the provision that you successfully complete all of the coursework for your senior year, and they can still be revoked after they review your final transcript for the year.

• DENIAL OF ADMISSION: One of the benefits of selecting and applying to multiple schools is that it allows for the possibility that you may not be granted acceptance to every school to which you apply. If you are denied admission to one program, then you still have other options to consider. If you find that you have been denied access to all of your selected schools, make sure to take the time to speak to your school counselor or college advisor about viable alternatives and next steps. They may suggest that you apply to less competitive schools or to consider attending community college first and then transfer to a four-year program. The important thing to remember is that you SHOULD NOT GIVE UP or become discouraged. There is ALWAYS a way to achieve your academic and career goals.

• DEFERRAL: If you applied to be considered for Early Action, Priority Admission, or Early Decision at a particular school, you may receive a response that your application has been “Deferred” to consideration for regular admission. The most important thing to remember if you are deferred is that deferral IS NOT A DENIAL! It simply means that while other early admission candidates submitted applications that were a bit more competitive, your application was still good enough to be considered, and the admissions representatives want to see how you measure up to other applicants for regular decision. While you await their final decision, there are a few things that you can do to increase your chances of admission:
  • Contact the Admissions Office to Find out Why You Were Deferred. Unless they indicate otherwise, reach out to the admissions office and politely ask them why they decided to defer you and what you can do to make your application stronger. There may be a particular weakness that you can address. The other benefit of communicating directly with the admissions officers is that it allows you to become more than just a name and numbers on a page. Give them a chance to get to know you and your enthusiasm for the school.
  • Submit New Information. If the admissions representative suggests that there were particular areas of weakness in your application, he or she may allow you to submit updated information. If your GPA was a bit low, ask if you can submit a second quarter transcript. If your SAT score was not high enough, you may be able to submit new scores if you took the test again. You can also let them know if you have received additional honors or taken on new leadership roles or service projects.

• PLACEMENT ON A WAITING LIST: Schools may place you on their waiting list for a number of reasons. For example, if a school has an excess of viable candidates, they may be waiting for students to decline their acceptance to make room for other candidates, or they may be waiting to ensure that you successfully complete your senior year coursework. Again, it is important to contact the school directly to determine the exact parameters of their waiting list process. As with the deferral, make sure to find out about any additional information that you can provide that may influence their decision (e.g., grades, SAT scores, etc.). If you are placed on a waiting list for a school that you really want to attend, make sure that you hold your place at another school of interest while you wait on a decision to ensure that you have a backup option in case you are denied admission to your first choice.

Stay encouraged and make sure to focus on raising money to pay for college as you wait for your schools’ admissions decisions!