thin envelopes, fat envelopes, fireworks in the e-mail . . . notes about how large the applicant pool was, how amazing the applicants were, how hard it was to select . . . yeah . . . yeah . . . yeah . . . If you are having trouble making sense of the admissions decisions, join a growing crowd. It is an irrational process. My counselor says it is further complicated by students who throw too many college application darts. At my school, by the middle of December 2009, each senior had, on average, applied to more than three and less than four colleges. Juniors out there–listen up!
When it is time for you to apply to colleges: Make a vertical list; select a reasonable number of places to apply to; make sure anywhere you apply is somewhere you’d be happy to attend.
Seniors, let’s talk about those decisions.
• Some students have known where they are going for months. Schools that offer rolling admissions and students who have them as first-choice colleges are simply waiting for the big package of enrollment materials to hit their mail box.
• While the media will center on the admission status at highly selective schools, remember that nearly 7 out of 10 college applications get a YES, we’d love to have you join us in the fall of 2010 reply.
• Rejected? Hey, did you know Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, one of the richest, smartest men in the world was rejected by Harvard? He attended the University of Nebraska. Dust yourself off. Select a college option. Apply yourself with vigor and do the best you can– in and out of the classroom!
• Wait listed? Repeat after me: Wait listed isn’t a NO! The first rule of wait lists is: remove yourself from the wait list if you are no longer interested in the school. Remaining on a wait list at a school you are no longer interested in–just to see if you can get in–is bad for everyone. The second rule of wait lists: stay on the wait list ONLY if the wait list school remains equal as a first choice. The third rule of wait lists: proceed deliberately but cautiously. Deposit by May 1 at the current best option. Banking on a wait list school to come through isn’t prudent. Having said that, if you want to remain on the wait list, it is critical to notify the college offering you the spot. Additionally, rack your brain–are there any achievements or awards, accomplishments or accolades which you have racked up since the seventh semester transcript was submitted? Climbed Mount Kilimanjaro blindfolded? Established an award-winning literary magazine? Been published in The New Yorker? Won the Intel Science Competition? Earned a qualifying score in the National Biology Olympiad? Making the honor roll isn’t what colleges are looking for–think bigger. Get statistics about the wait lists from previous years–number on, number admitted, procedure for selecting from the wait list.
• Accepted? Job isn’t over . . . stay tuned . . . I feel the urge for a snack.
L8R,
Clyde
