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Admit, defer, deny: early admission news

December 7th, 2021

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but for high school students awaiting admission notifications, the time couldn’t be dragging any more slowly. In the month of December, many students who applied early will receive one of these three responses…admit, defer, deny. So what next steps should you take after hearing the news?

Admit

If you are accepted into your top choice school, hooray! Follow the school’s instructions carefully to determine a follow-up plan.

Deny

It is not easy hearing “no,” especially for something you are so passionate about. Allow yourself time to feel without judgment. There is a mourning period and you will get through this. It may be difficult to think about right now, but there are many wonderful choices out there that might actually be a better fit for you. Each college on your list is a great option and you still have time to add a new college or two.

Defer

Getting deferred by your top choice school can be disappointing and the response to deferral is not so cut and dried. You will find many opinions on how to respond when you receive this news, but I think the article linked below from Niche says it best. The advice given from author Michaela Schieffer provides simple steps to follow in this scenario.

Article linked below from Niche, written by Michaela Schieffer published on January 21, 2019

How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Into College if You’ve Been Deferred

At some point in your senior year, there will be a moment when your mailbox (or email inbox) holds your future, determining the location of the next four years of your life. This anticipation can quickly turn to disappointment if the letter from your top-choice colleges, to which you applied early decision, is anxiously opened, only to view the word “deferred” in place of your anticipated acceptance.

Thankfully, the college admissions game is not black and white. While a deferral is certainly not the preferred answer, nor does it indicate an acceptance, it should not be considered a rejection. A deferral from an early decision cycle refers to the decision by the school to consider your application in the regular decision cycle. In short, the school is offering you another chance at admission.

Early action deadlines are designed to offer admission to a limited number of students, in order to allow the admissions department to better plan for the upcoming regular decision cycle. This preliminary round allows the admissions team a chance to evaluate their early admits in light of their projected goals for the academic year. If their goal is to admit a well-rounded freshman class with unique perspectives, the department will need time to pause and regroup before the regular decision round begins.

How to be a stand out applicant

November 23rd, 2021

How can I make my application stand out for college or boarding school? This million dollar question is simply answered … students should show their intellectual curiosity, of course, but also their ability to connect with others and make a significant impact on the world around them.

Sometimes it seems as though admissions officers are only looking for students with an impeccable GPA, taking the most advanced courses and having an almost perfect SAT or ACT score. While these academic achievements predict future academic success, character also counts when determining if a student will be a good fit.

Image via College Data

Colleges and boarding schools alike seek students who not only have a strong academic record but also show initiative, leadership, a sense of social responsibility and so much more. In the article linked below, MIT reveals the key components their admissions committee uses when evaluating applicants. This is a great read and it may help you think outside the box as you continue working on applications or, for younger students, building your activities list and considering how you can continue to make an impact on others.

Article linked below from MIT Admissions

What we look for

The match between you and MIT

Ask any admissions officer at MIT, and they will tell you that while grades and scores are important, it’s really the match between applicant and the Institute that drives our selection process.

Here are the key components:

Alignment with MIT’s mission

Remember that there are many ways to make the world better—we’re not looking for applicants to have cured all infectious disease in the world by the time they’re 15. Tutoring a single kid in math changes the world. Lobbying a senator to amend bad policy changes the world. There are thousands of examples.

Standardized Testing Q&A

November 9th, 2021

Covid-19 and community disruption have brought tectonic change to the world of college admission, not least where testing requirements are concerned. We’ve been heartened to see more colleges adopt test-optional admission policies, yet as school life resumes something closer to a natural rhythm and registration for the SAT and ACT becomes less problematic, many wonder whether test-optional admission policies are here to stay. If you have questions surrounding this issue, today’s blog post is for you!

Will colleges return to requiring standardized testing in the 2022-2023 application cycle? Hmmm … some state university systems required tests this year; Florida and Georgia are two examples. On the other hand, the University of California system went in the opposite direction and will not consider scores even if submitted. Many colleges are in the midst of “pilot” test-optional policy periods that extend through this year and have yet to announce whether they’ll extend the policy further. That’s a long-winded way to say that in many cases, we’ll have to wait and see.

Should I plan to take the SAT or ACT? If you’re certain that you’ll only apply to test-optional colleges, then there’s no need to prepare or sit for the SAT or ACT. However, if there’s any wiggle room in your college list composition (and for most there is), then it will likely prove wise to prepare and register for the SAT or ACT.

How are test-optional colleges handling merit scholarships? Most colleges offering a test-optional path to admission take the same approach with merit scholarship awarding … but not all. Students should review websites carefully for this information when looking at colleges of interest.

How many times should I plan to take the SAT or ACT? Plan on three test dates, with the first falling winter/spring and the second at the end of junior year. The third can take place over the summer or early fall of senior year.

Where can I find a list of colleges with test-optional admission policies? Visit FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, for a searchable database of colleges.

The standardized testing dilemma has long been a problem but the pandemic combined with societal upheaval to bring it to the forefront of the college admission world’s consciousness. The article linked below from The Smithsonian informs us of the history in admissions testing and what the future might look like as schools begin to rebalance their approach to admissions.

Article referenced below from The Smithsonian, published July 15, 2021 written by Amber Dance

Has the Pandemic Put an End to the SAT and ACT?

Clara Chaplin had studied. She was ready. A junior at Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar, New York, she was scheduled to take the SAT on March 14, 2020. Then the pandemic hit, and the test was canceled.

The April SAT was canceled too. All through the spring and summer and into the fall, every test date she signed up for was either full or canceled. As she submitted her college applications on November 1, she still didn’t know how she’d score on the SAT she finally would manage to take on November 7.

Need a little help understanding financial aid for college?

October 26th, 2021

Financial aid forms can seem like a daunting task on a laundry list of documents to complete before the application process is finally finished. For families applying for need-based aid, here are the main forms parents should be aware of:

The FAFSA is the most commonly discussed college financial aid application; it’s used to determine a student’s eligibility for federal student aid, including grants, work-study and student loans.
The CSS Profile is an application required by many private colleges and a small number of highly competitive public universities in addition to the FAFSA. This form takes a closer look at a family’s entire financial picture.
Institutional forms are required in a very few cases; each college’s financial aid website will specify if so.

Financial aid policies vary from college to college, so parents must review each school’s financial aid instructions carefully to be sure they are submitting everything required for consideration. Many great resources are available online to help guide you and this US News article linked below provides the “ultimate guide” to help you through this process.

Article linked below from US News written by Farran Powell and Emma Kerr published on December 7, 2020

A Guide to Understanding Financial Aid for College

Many families are shocked by a college’s sticker price. While the price of tuition can be overwhelming, college financial aid can make higher education affordable.

In fact, income and savings represent only a few of the resources families use to pay students’ college expenses, according to the 2020 Sallie Mae/Ipsos survey How America Pays for College. The survey found that for a typical family, scholarships and grants covered 25% of college costs in 2019-2020. Scholarships and grants are two types of college financial aid that don’t need to be repaid.

With the complexity of paying for college, navigating the financial aid process can seem challenging. Here are a few answers to common financial aid questions.