Colleges have begun releasing their Early Decision, Early Action, Priority Admission, and Rolling Admission notifications. Whatever the news you just received, here are a few tips:
You were admitted
Congratulations! Take time to celebrate and share the good news. Be sure to thank those individuals who helped you: your parents, counselor, teachers who wrote recommendations for you, friends who read drafts of your essay. They'll want to hear the good news and they'll be particularly appreciative to hear another "thanks" from you. If there was an admissions officer who was particularly helpful or that you were in touch with, send him or her an email saying thanks and letting him/her know how excited you are! They're talking with a lot of disappointed students right now, and it is always a bright spot to hear from an admitted student. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Say thanks
2. If you have other applications submitted to other colleges, and you know that you will be attending the college where you were just admitted, withdraw those other applications.
3. Don't forget to confirm with the college that admitted you early that you will be attending!
4. If you have any questions about financial aid, reach out to the financial aid office.
5. Join the Class of 2019 Facebook group, follow on Twitter, etc. There might even be a local alumni club that will want to invite you to a holiday gathering.
6. Be proud of your news and don't feel that you need to hide it from friends – even if they've just received disappointing news. Just don't forget to recognize and listen to friends who are still waiting or received disappointing news.
You were deferred
"What does this mean?!?!" Receiving a message that you've been deferred can be disappointing and confusing. Is the college really interested? Was there something missing? Are they just letting you down easy? How much longer will you have to wait?! All good questions. Here are some general guidelines for processing a defer decision:
1. Yes, the college is very much still interested in you. They will be reviewing your application again during the Regular Decision round. Remember, early rounds are still very competitive and colleges are careful not to fill too much of their class during early to make sure they have room to add students during regular decision.
2. Let your counselor, recommendation writers, and other sources of help know that you've been deferred. They'll be rooting for you and likely offer to help in any way they can.
3. Let the college know that you are still very interested in attending and that you look forward to their decision in the spring. Check to see if they request and/or accept supplemental materials from deferred students and when they would like these materials submitted. There is no rush! In fact, don't rush. Usually you have until early February to submit additional materials. These will likely include: a brief update from you (about a page in length) conveying that you are still very interested in attending, updating them on any recent academic or extracurricular projects or accomplishments, and mid-year or marking period grades. When thinking about what else to share in your update, consider what you wrote your essay about. Did you talk about an activity outside of school? If so, think about sharing a different side of yourself and write about an academic project or topic that you're really excited about. Ask a friend, teacher, counselor or mentor to read over the update before you send it off.
4. Respect the guidelines the college gives you for providing updates. An enthusiastic initial email letting the college know you're still interested goes a long way. Emailing the admissions officer weekly (or daily) doesn't help and could actually have an adverse effect. You don't need to be cute or gimicky. Respect the college and yourself. Be genuine in expressing your enthusiasm, but don't pressure yourself to go over the top with some crazy way of demonstrating your love for University X. (Cancel that order of cookies with your face glazed on them.)
5. Look at your entire college list, invest careful time and energy into your other applications, and begin to test out different outcomes in your mind. If you ultimately are not admitted to your first choice, are you excited about the other colleges on your list? You should feel excited about every school on your list – regardless of whether it is a "reach", "on-target", or "likely/safety" school. If you aren't feeling excited, think about adding some places you are excited about. (And don't forget that everything might feel a little less shiny in the wake of your defer decision.) The vast, vast majority of students end up loving the college where they enroll, even if it wasn't their first choice during the application process, so give yourself some room to be flexible and open with your thinking. If it helps, trying thinking about what aspects of your first choice school you really like and then see what other schools on your list (or not on your list yet) have similar characteristics.
You were denied
This is so disappointing. But the process isn't over yet! You will end up with a great experience at another college. Be gentle with yourself, though, and take time to feel disappointed. Just remember that this decision is NOT a reflection on who you are as a person, how hard you've worked, or whether you are a good candidate for college. This decision likely reflects more on how competitive the admissions process is at certain schools. After you've had the chance to decompress, feel disappointed, commiserate with friends and family, try to focus on the following:
1. Update your counselor, recommendation writers, other mentors who helped you in the process. They think you are terrific, and it's good to be reminded of that! They'll also want to help you with other applications.
2. Take stock of your college list. Is it balanced between "reach," "on-target," and "likely/safety" schools? If you have all reach schools, it's time to re-balance the list. This early decision can also help you calibrate. Remember, you should feel excited about all the colleges on your list. If you don't, toss some out and add others you do feel excited about. Two colleges can be very similar, while one admits 6% of the students who apply and the other admits 40%. Don't let admission rates be the main factor you consider regarding quality and fit.
3. Invest time and energy into your remaining college applications. It might be the last thing you want to do, but get yourself excited. These applications are your gateway to a fantastic college experience – and you will have one!
4. Don't feel that you have to hide this news from friends, particularly those who were just admitted. Be confident in the application you put together and recognize how selective some colleges are. They have to turn away very talented candidates. Hopefully your friends – regardless of the college news they received – will be supportive and understanding. Now is the time for all to be gracious and supportive. You'll feel better about yourself down the line if you can muster up the energy to do this.
Please use the Joyce Ivy community as a resource! Reach out to other Scholars and alumnae through the Facebook group or Mentoring Circles. If you want to talk with a Joyce Ivy Mentor, we'd be happy to speak with you or connect you with someone who is a good fit. You are not in this alone, and there is a whole JIF community, in addition to your home community, that stands ready to navigate the process with you.
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