What To Do While Waiting For Early Decision Results
In November, many high school seniors submitted applications in hopes of being accepted in the Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) round. If your student is one of these seniors, then there’s no doubt that they are anxiously awaiting the results. But this isn’t the time to sit around and wait! There is still plenty to be done before the acceptance, rejection, and deferral letters arrive in December.
Continue Working on Other Applications and Admissions Essays
No doubt students are exhausted from the ED/EA application round. It is exhausting work, and your student should be congratulated for getting it done. However, no matter how great your student is, there is still no guarantee that they will be admitted during this round. Since Regular Decision (RD) applications are due at the beginning of January, and your student won’t be notified about the ED/EA round until December 15, we strongly advise students to continue working on other applications and admissions essays. If they wait until they are informed to begin working on other applications, that will only leave them two weeks to prepare their application, obtain letters of recommendation, write personal essays, etc.. This is a nightmare scenario for everyone involved. Continue to prepare all of those items now to ensure that everything is ready to go before the first of January.
Stay up on Your Grades
One of the most common misconceptions that students have is that once their applications are submitted, they can relax a bit on their grades. We cannot emphasize enough how bad of a decision this would be. In just a few short months, your student will be matriculating into their dream school (fingers crossed) and they need to continue to make a good, strong impression. Some colleges, especially the more competitive ones, will continue to check transcripts mid-year to make sure that they have made the right choice in accepting your student. Don’t let all that hard work go to waste by relaxing now. Keep up the hard work. It will continue to pay off!
Not Accepted to ED I, Apply for ED II
While not all colleges offer a second round of Early Decision, many of the top colleges do. Check with the individual college to see if they offer it. If they do, apply! Chances of admission are still higher in the ED II round than they are in the RD round. Keep in mind that ED II is still binding, so only apply if your student is serious about attending.
