As early admissions decisions begin rolling in from most colleges, chances are you already know or will soon find out whether you’ve been admitted, deferred, or denied.
But now what? Depending on your admissions outcome, there are a variety of actions you can – and should – take. If you’ve accepted a binding admissions decision, we’ll tell you how to start off your college career on the right foot. If not, we’ll help you maximize your admissions chances going forward.
Accepted, Early Decision
First of all, congratulations! If you were admitted Early Decision, your college search has come to an ideal conclusion. Closely follow the instructions you receive from the admissions office and make sure to meet all required deposit deadlines. In addition, send thank you notes to everyone who helped you through this process, including your guidance counselor, recommenders, and tutors. They’ll certainly be happy to share in your excitement!
Withdraw all other applications. Make sure you withdraw any other outstanding applications to other colleges. Failing to do so would not only violate the terms of your ED contract, but would be unfair to the many other hopeful applicants waiting on decisions from those schools.
Accepted, Early Action
Again, congratulations, especially if your Early Action (EA) admission was to your first-choice college! Unlike an ED admit, you are not obligated to communicate your decision to colleges until May 1, the “National Candidates Reply Date” for all non-ED applicants except NCAA-recruited athletes.
Withdraw applications for colleges in which you are no longer interested. You are now in a position to re-evaluate your college list. In light of your EA acceptance(s), you may no longer be interested in certain other colleges; if so, withdraw those applications. While technically permissible, if there are schools you have no intention of attending, don’t keep applications open there just to see whether you’d get in; doing so potentially takes away opportunities from other students, including your friends and peers.
Denied
If you’ve been denied, you’re probably disappointed, but don’t let it get you down – and don’t second-guess yourself or your other applications. In other words, stay the course. You have already identified an appropriate range of colleges and given the application process your best shot. Have faith that you will have options that are a great fit for you!
Focus on Regular Decision applications. In order to strengthen your chances, make sure to take the following steps:
- Check all your college admissions portals to verify that all the application components have been received.
- If you have not yet visited colleges that you are very interested in, do so, preferably by the end of February. Learn more about why the college is a good fit and include those reflections in a follow-up email to the regional admissions officers.
- You can also send follow-up letters with any news of honors or awards, special academic achievements, or extracurricular projects that have occurred since submitting your application.
Deferred
Being deferred, instead of denied, is (in some ways) the most uncertain admissions status, but it also means that you are still in the running and in line with the college’s admissions profile. Nevertheless, it is also important to realize that you are no longer dealing with early admissions’ higher acceptance rates, but rather with regular admission’s lower acceptance rates amidst a larger pool of applicants.
Note that a deferral also releases you from your early decision binding commitment to enroll if you are admitted.
Strengthen your chances for the Regular Decision process. There are several steps you can take to strengthen your application to the college from which you were deferred:
- If there is a 12th grade teacher who could add a different perspective to your application, consider submitting an additional recommendation.
- Try to visit the college again and meet with professors in your area(s) of interest, if feasible.
- Write a follow-up note re-affirming your interest. Be genuine. If you would attend if accepted, say so. If not, state that you remain strongly interested in the college. If you have re-visited, discuss the specifics of your visit in your note. Summarize why the college is an excellent fit for you, and mention the unique strengths and experiences you would contribute to the campus. If appropriate, include updates of any awards, special academic achievements, or extracurricular projects that have occurred since you submitted your original application.
- Look at the college’s admissions website to learn specifically what follow-up information they would like to receive. Nearly all colleges will accept informational updates that help them assess your candidacy from a fresh perspective.
- Continue to engage in all your courses. Remember that colleges require your first semester senior year grades.
Contact us for a free consultation!
Navigating the admissions process is complicated, even long after you’ve submitted your applications. If you need any further guidance, don’t hesitate to contact Collegiate Gateway – as always, we’re happy to help!
