Early Applications: What Happens Next? Plus the Role of Paid Work in the College Application

Ian Fisher guest hosted the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, with College Coach Educators Karen Spencer and Emily Toffelmire joining to discuss two timely topics—what to do after submitting an early application and the unique role paid work plays as an extracurricular activity. School’s In: Application Workshop Now that November 1^st has come and gone, so too have many of the earliest application deadlines. In the first segment Ian and Karen discussed what applicants can expect after an early application submission. For example, did you know that most colleges will take up to one full week to process an application and all its supporting documents and put it into reading? Or that many institutions provide students with an online login to check the status of said application pieces? Ian and Karen underscored the importance of students taking ownership of their application, and the necessity of ensuring its completion and readiness for reading. In this segment, Karen and Ian also clarified the various outcomes of Early Decision or Early Action applications—with admit, deny, or defer being the three; waitlist is generally not an option in early rounds. They also shared potential game plans for additional applications based on each possible outcome. Karen helped clarify how a student might use ED2 strategically and why it’s important to not make significant changes to a college list based on an early application decision. The Role of Paid Work in College Applications Emily Toffelmire joined Ian in the second segment to discuss the role of paid work in the college application. Right off the bat, Ian and Emily debunked the myth that colleges don’t care about paid work experiences. In fact, Emily shared how simply listing paid work as an activity can tell an admission officer an incredible amount of information about a student’s character, time management skills, and level of responsibility or commitment! They also explained how all work isn’t necessarily created equally—an applicant working for, say, a family member will absolutely be viewed differently than an applicant working for someone unknown/unrelated to him or herself. Tune in to Getting In: A College Coach Conversation this week for another “School’s In: Application Workshop” and to learn the pros and cons of applying for financial aid.