All in Early Action (EA) / Early Decision (ED)
There are a lot of misconceptions about college interviews. Some people come into the college application process thinking that every college interviews students– no. Some think that interviews are a crucial part of college admissions– sometimes yes, mostly no. The vast majority of colleges and universities in the US do not interview students; however, for those that do, the purpose, focus, and timing can vary greatly, depending on the school. A good rule of thumb is this:
Who would have thought that the University of Tennessee would be deferring and denying so many high stats kids? Other schools, like Clemson and the University of South Carolina, are deferring high percentages of out-of-state students as their application numbers soar. This year I have seen multiple high stats students offered a place at Penn State only if they would begin in the summer– an option that used to be offered just to students with much lower stats. And schools like Northeastern and the University of Miami continue to offer students spots on their main campuses only after they do a semester abroad or on a different US campus.
It’s the best thing EVER when you are admitted to your Early Decision school. You are done with applications (except in some cases) and ready to attend your dream school next year. Similarly, Early Action results present you with admissions decisions before the regular decision pool of applicants so that you can begin to breathe a bit easier and start narrowing your focus. But if you are deferred or denied, you have some decisions to make.
You have submitted your first college applications– CONGRATULATIONS! 🎉 After that huge rush of activity, you may be wondering what to do now. This blog covers your checklist of things to remember, and common mistakes to avoid.
Getting deferred or rejected is not the news you were hoping for in this early round, but most students are going to face some rejection during this process. If you were deferred or rejected from your Early Decision school, you are now released from your binding agreement. If you were rejected, then that decision is final for this application cycle. You may not re-apply there this year. If you were deferred and are still interested in the ED school, read the deferral letter to learn what you can submit.
You may start to get acceptances from rolling and early action schools now. After all your hard work, that’s the best news ever! Keep track of anything required, but in general, you should hang tight even while the school sends you approximately 967 emails each day pressuring you to commit. Under no circumstance should you put down an enrollment deposit-- you can only put down an enrollment deposit at one school-- until you are certain you want to attend the school.
This post explains the difference between the various college admissions deadlines, what the benefits are for each. Is what Princeton is doing a signal of what’s to come, or not?
