What if I’m Accepted? Deferred? Waitlisted? Rejected?

In addition to looking forward to the holidays, many students and their families are also eagerly waiting for the results from their early applications. Most results will start reaching inboxes and mailboxes the second week of December, which is a short time away.

There are a variety of decisions you may receive and I wanted to take some time to explain them along with your options.

I’m Accepted! Now what?

If you were accepted, congratulations! There is a myth that they only get sent out in thick envelopes, but these days, they can be sent via email or via regular thin envelopes at first.

If you applied early decision, then that means you are going to that school. Ideally, this should have been your first choice, so hopefully you are thrilled. You may receive an estimated aid package along with your acceptance. You will receive information on how to send in your deposit. Once you’ve sent it in, you’re all set! Please also remember to rescind your application from the other schools you’ve been accepted to and let them know you’ve been accepted elsewhere.

If you applied early action, you have the option of waiting for the rest of your application results to come in, before making a decision. However, if it is your number one choice, then you are also free to send in a deposit to secure your place. Similarly, they will offer any preliminary financial packages, including merit scholarships, if you qualify. At the same time, you can wait for the rest of your results to arrive next Spring and make your choice then.

I’m Deferred. What does that mean?

Good news is it means you are a decent candidate. Unfortunately, they don’t have enough space for early acceptance to take you at this time. They will however re-consider your application with regular decision applicants. It’s like receiving a second chance. You will receive your final decision in the Spring.

Another upside to being deferred, is if you applied early decision, you are now released from your commitment to attend the school should you be accepted in the regular decision round. The benefit is you can now consider any other schools that may accept you regular decision since being deferred releases you from your early decision commitment. You can now wait for the rest of your results to arrive in the Spring to make your decision.

In the meantime, if you are passionate about attending that school, you can consider sending an email or letter expressing your utmost desire to attend. In a few instances, it can be beneficial.

I’m Waitlisted. What does that mean?

Being waitlisted is similar to being deferred, except it happens typically during the regular decision results. It means that they thought you were a good candidate, but they do not have enough spaces at the moment. As they start to receive decisions from applicants who have been accepted on whether or not they decide to attend that school, a spot might open up and you may be accepted off the waitlist at that time.

There is not much control you have over this either, but there have been few instances where students who have written in to express their desire to attend and reiterated why they are a good fit for the school do manage to get off the waitlist and are accepted.

I was Rejected. What happened?

Oftentimes, it is difficult to accept rejections. However, if you applied to a balanced list of schools, chances are, you may receive a rejection or two. It doesn’t mean you’re a failure or less adequate in any way. There are excellent students who still get rejected by top tier schools. The truth is, there are a limited number of spots and there are more qualified applicants than there are spaces in most situations.

As long as you have tried your best, just know it might be that you may not have been a right fit for each other. If you receive a rejection letter and you are concerned about your prospects, you can consider applying for schools that have later deadlines or may have rolling admissions. If all else fails, you can always consider community college for the first year and then transfer to another school in the future. You can actually save quite a bit of money this way as well.

Overall, you know if you have put in the time and effort to competing your applications as thoughtfully as possible. If you plan ahead, you will have many options available to you. Wishing you a happy holidays with hopefully equally happy admissions results!

College Applications Q&A

Early application deadlines are just around the corner. As many students finalize their essays and review their application, I would like to answer some of the most common questions I receive around this time of year.

Question: Can I wait to apply for the rest of my schools until I get my early action or early decision results?

Answer: Well, you could. However, in most cases, you won’t receive notification until early to mid-December and given that most deadlines are between December 1st and January 1st, you might eliminate a lot of opportunity for yourself if you wait. Also, it might give you more stress than you need, since you would need to finish your applications within a much shorter timeframe. I highly recommend students review the deadlines of the other schools they are applying to and try to finish their applications sooner rather than later for this very reason.

Question: How important is a resume?

Answer: Depending on the school you are applying for, they may allow you to upload an optional resume. A resume gives you the opportunity to list all your awards, activities and description in one document. Even some schools that accept the Common Application, which provides you with the opportunity to list up to ten activities offer you the ability to include a resume. It makes sense to include a resume if you have more than ten activities throughout your high school career and/or if you would like to elaborate on them more than the Common Application field allows you to.

Question: How strict is the word limit?

Answer: The admissions committee has many applications to review, including yours. There is a limit for a reason and many schools expect you to keep your essay within the parameters they have provided. You should keep your essay to the limit. If you essay is over the limit on your first draft, take some to to either review and edit it to be more concise yourself or with a parent or teacher’s help.

Question: If I am accepted into a school early decision, but change my mind later, can I back out?

Answer: You sign a legal agreement that says you will attend the school should you be accepted. If you are interested in applying early decision to a school, then you should have researched the school thoroughly before making that decision, including figuring out the financial situation. If there is a school you want to attend, but don’t know if you can afford, take 30 minutes and run the Expected Family Contribution calculator that is available on the school’s financial aid website. If you should decide to back out, then you do so with the consequence that you may not be eligible to attend any other school you applied for, so please take this option seriously.

Hope these help and feel free to contact me at info@eliteadvantageprep.com with any questions that you would like answered. Wishing you all the best as you apply for college these next few months!