So, the time has finally come. You’ve filled out your applications, written all of your essays, thanked your teachers and counselors for writing their letters, clicked ‘submit’ with a flurry of anxiety, and now you have started opening your portals and letters to see your admissions decisions. This may feel like the end of a long road to the next chapter of your life, but whether you’ve been accepted, waitlisted, or rejected, there’s still more to do!
Accepted? Congratulations! All of your hard work paid off, and you were accepted by the school of your dreams. While the hard part is over, there’s still more to do. Now is the time to:
- Compare the financial aid offered by your top choice school, if any, with any other aid packages from other schools. Some schools are willing to match financial aid offers to ensure that they don’t lose amazing applicants they hope will attend.
- Submit your tuition and/or housing deposit as soon as you are certain you will attend and fill out any housing surveys that were attached to your admissions notification. A lot of schools offer housing selection on a first come, first served basis, so the sooner you accept the offer, the sooner you can choose your dorm!
- Submit official test scores (APs, SAT/ACT) if the institution requires them for placement/credit.
- Ask any friends/family who currently attend your university for course suggestions for freshman year. Do your research now, and come time for registration, you’ll already know what classes (and professors) you are hoping to take. Check out www.ratemyprofessors.com!
- Start shopping for any weather-related items you might need at your university (as if you Southern Californians have good winter boots!). Don’t wait until late summer when prices are at their highest – start picking up items here and there as you find them.
Waitlisted? The most important thing you can do now is prove to admissions officers that you are passionate about their school and truly belong there. A few tips:
- Confirm your spot on the waitlist immediately – don’t wait!
- Send the school an update on what you’ve been doing the last few months and outline why you’re a better applicant than when you first applied. Emphasize your enthusiasm for the school and how much it means to you. Offer to attend summer school or enroll in the spring semester, if that would help (only if you are willing to do so, of course) – show them that you’ll do whatever it takes to join their community. Schools want students who will be vibrant, enthusiastic members of their student body – prove that this will be you!
- Still submit a deposit at your top choice school to which you were accepted. If the waitlist doesn’t work out, you don’t want to lose your place at the next best thing!
- Be patient. Students get off the waitlist as early as May 1 and as late as early August. Yes, it’s frustrating not to know where you’re going to school in the fall when all your friends do, but your dream school is worth the wait!
Rejected? No one enjoys rejection, but you need to recognize that, in this case, it ISN’T PERSONAL. There are two different ways to handle the situation:
- Lick your wounds and move on. Take it as a sign from the universe that there’s a better path for you out there – your future best friends, inspiring professors, and life-changing opportunities are all waiting for you on another campus.
- Appeal the decision. While this course of action is rarely effective, it does occasionally work. Do you truly feel as though there’s been an oversight? Have you not properly expressed your enthusiasm for the school or why it is such a perfect fit? Are there extenuating circumstances that need an explanation? Again, if you’d be willing to attend summer school or enroll in the spring semester, let them know.
If you need help with any of this, we are here to help, so reach out to work with an experienced college counselor to help you navigate your admissions decisions and land on the one that’s right for you!
