College Admissions Consulting The Waiting Game: What to Do While Colleges Make Their Decisions Written by Karen Spenceron February 20th, 2020 Like many admissions officers, I was introduced to this line of work after having been a tour guide at Valparaiso University. I went to graduate school to study counseling in higher education and, while working in the admissions office at UVA, realized that admissions was my passion. As an admissions officer at Franklin & Marshall, I read and made decisions on applications from NY, CA, and CO, was in charge of transfer admissions, and was the liaison to all coaches during the athletic recruiting process. Moving to Georgetown, I continued to oversee transfer admissions and reviewed applicants from the Midwest, reading up to 1800 applications each year. I also acted as the liaison for the soccer coach, and led one of the business school admissions committees. During my time in the admissions world, I particularly enjoyed meeting with students, helping student athletes decide if they really wanted to play a sport in college, helping transfer students find a better fit at a different college, and helping students and parents debunk the myriad of myths that are out there regarding this process. Learn More About Karen college admissions advice, college decisions, Despite thinking that the hardest part of the application process would be the actual application, for many families the waiting game can feel just as unnerving. Sitting on your hands during the months of January through March can feel like an eternity. Here are some things you can and should be doing while you await decisions from admissions offices. Write thank you notes or emails (not texts!) to your teachers and school counselor for writing your letters of recommendation Make sure colleges where you were deferred know you are still interested (if you are). The best advice here is to be brief and reach out once so they know you are interested. More is not better here. If they are your first choice college, feel free to say as much. Call any school where you were deferred and are no longer interested and withdraw your application. Continue getting to know your schools by following them on social media, exploring their websites, talking to alums you know about their experience, etc. Prepare for your regular decision interviews, if any, and send a thoughtful thank you note to your interviewer once completed Keep studying! All colleges and universities will require a final transcript to be submitted before a student is allowed to officially enroll. A little senioritis is fine. A lot will potentially find you starting your freshman year already on academic probation. Do not wait to be admitted before applying for financial aid. Financial aid application deadlines for Regular Decision candidates can come up any time between January and March, and if you wait until you’ve received your acceptance, you’ve likely already missed your financial aid application deadline. If you believe you’ve applied for aid already, be sure to log into each college’s applicant portal to ensure your financial aid application is complete. Apply for private scholarships. Check in with your high school counseling office and/or log into your school’s college planning software to look for local, community-based scholarships. Also, create a profile on a national scholarship search site such as scholarships.com to track down additional scholarships for which you might be a good fit. Prepare yourself for disappointment; surprise yourself with celebration. It's not easy getting rejected, and for many students this will be the first time they've been told "no." So now is a good time to be positive about all of their potential options, and to keep in mind that bad news this spring doesn't negate all of the wonderful work they've done in high school. It just means college admissions is as unpredictable as ever. Getting waitlisted or rejected is part of the process for nearly all students. Remember, our children learn how to face rejection with grace and dignity by watching how their parents react to it. Make sure you’re thoughtful about the example you set should a rejection or waitlist letter find itself in your mailbox. Enjoy being a senior! Keep studying, but have fun! Related Resources Read | Posted on April 16th, 2024 Understanding Direct Admission: A Pathway to Success Read | Posted on April 10th, 2024 Acceptance by Emi Nietfeld; Why You Should Fill out the FAFSA Read | Posted on April 9th, 2024 Community Colleges with Campus Housing
