College Admission Help

College Admission Help: Colleges Are Calling - But When Should You Answer?

In what may be the biggest April Fool’s Day joke ever, many colleges that usually send out admissions decisions on April 1st are sending them out 2-3 weeks early. MIT posted their decisions at one minute before 2 PM this Saturday, or 3/14 at 1:59 (those are the first six digits of the mathematically important number pi— a bit of slide rule humor!) Many liberal arts schools are also sending early notices of good news to very strong students (some as early as March 1st) and it seems a ton of schools are notifying students by e-mail, text message, or mobile device.

Why the rush? The sooner a college tells a student they’re in, the longer the college has to convince, e-mail, telephone, and woo the student into actually coming to that school. Now that the college knows you’re among the best, they want to give you a clear sine (more slide rule stuff) they really want you.

These strategies are causing concerns among high schools, who are still trying to teach tomorrow’s leaders. If a college sends out decisions during the school day, anxious students will risk breaking school policy and keep their phones on in class. When an acceptance e-mail comes in with its accompanying audio of the school fight song, class gets interrupted; when a notice of denial is sent, many of the messages simply say “application denied”, leaving dejected students with little comfort and lots of reason to interrupt class with tears, shrieks, or language that may be inappropriate for those under 17.

The need to know college options has never been greater, but a little perspective is in order:

- If you’re a college (hey, a few of them read this column), set your admission release time to 7 PM Eastern. Everyone is out of school then, meaning any celebration or desperation applicants feel will not affect the quality of education received by the rest of the high school, including future applicants to your college. Others have suggested colleges release at 7 PM on a Friday night, giving seniors the weekend to celebrate or reflect, then refocus for school, where you presumably still want them to do their best.

- Seniors, turn your phones off, and keep them off until school’s over. You don’t want to give Principal Weatherbee a good reason to put a blemish on your sterling discipline record, and this prevents you from incorrectly turning an admissions decision into a public event. Thoughtfully sharing the news (good or bad) with others requires time to think, and that’s in short supply when your phone is buzzing and your troops are around you. Until you’re in a space where all options are available—including privacy—power off.

- If the e-news is bad, and it’s put in a bad way, tell the college. There’s only so much space per message, but if admitted students get screens of fireworks and “We Are the Champions”, you deserve much more than the equivalent of “See Ya.” Call the college and tell them the message wasn’t very informative, then ask them to explain why you weren’t admitted. You may find an opportunity to have them reconsider their decision (“but I couldn’t take both AP Chem and Advanced Physics—they were offered at the same time”), and you’ll definitely give them the message they can, and should, do better next time.

Admissions decisions seem to be about college, but they’re really about you. Make sure you’re in a place to get the news where you’ll be OK either way—and that’s most likely not in school.


College Admission Help: Colleges Are Calling - But When Should You Answer?