What To Do While Waiting For College Early Decisions
In November, many high school seniors submitted college applications with hopes of being accepted via the college’s early decision (ED) or early action (EA) processes. Undoubtedly, students face immense anxiety while waiting for the outcome. In our recent blog, we explained in depth ED and EA admissions. ED is best described as a process in which students commit to a first-choice institution where, if admitted, they must enroll and withdraw all other applications. While ED applications are binding, EA applications are not. With both ED and EA paths, students are required to submit their applications in early November, before the regular decision (RD) deadline, which is in early January.
For students who applied ED or EA and are biting their nails while waiting to find out whether they have been accepted, deferred, or rejected, there are a number of actions Ivy Link experts advise students to consider taking while application deadlines creep closer.
Continue To Work On Other Apps and Admission Essays
Submitting your ED and EA applications is no small feat and well worth a congratulations! No doubt students feel exhausted from crafting engaging supplemental essays, preparing and taking the SAT or ACT, and preparing resumes to accompany their applications, but now is not the time to hit the brakes. As stated by a Brown admissions officer, “Please do not assume that your admission chances are improved by applying under the Early Decision plan.”
Most colleges do not notify ED and EA applicants of admission until December 15. Because of the early January deadlines for regular decision applications, if a student is rejected by the ED or EA college, there are only two weeks left to submit RD applications. We highly encourage students who have applied ED or EA to prepare their RD applications as they wait to receive admission decisions from their ED or EA college. Under a best-case scenario, students get admitted to their ED or EA college and won’t need their RD applications. However, if there’s even a small chance of getting deferred or denied from their ED or EA college, it’s worth investing the time now to prepare drafts of their RD applications to avoid cramming during the last two weeks of December.
Stay Up On Your Grades
In about half a year, students will be on their way to matriculating as first-year students at their dream school (fingers crossed). All of their hard work is about to pay off big time, but only if they let it. One of the most common misconceptions that high school seniors have is that once they have applied to college, they no longer need to keep up their grades for the remainder of their senior year. This is simply not true. Many of the schools that you apply to, especially the highly competitive ones, will check up on your final transcript or midyear grades. Accordingly, students should keep their eye on their college admission goals and stay engaged and focused until their final day of senior year.
Not Accepted to ED I, Apply to ED II
If an applicant is not accepted to their ED I or EA school, they are permitted to apply to another school in the ED II round, which also occurs during the RD round. Students are not required to apply to an ED II school, but if one of their other top-choice schools has an ED II option, it’s definitely something to consider. As always, students should check with a university’s admissions office for submission deadlines and options as some schools do not offer ED II.
If you or your child is in the process of applying to college, Ivy Link can help. We offer a number of personalized college admissions and academic advising services for students. Please contact us today to learn more about how our team can support your student and their academic goals.
