A Rite of Spring
The college admission season is now in its last days and I thought it might be interesting to give you perspective on why the May 1 deadline is so important to colleges and how it effects those who monitor the enrollment efforts at those colleges.
The last 10 days of April can be the most maddening of the year for deans of admission as the May 1 National Candidates’ Reply Date draws near. After two years of exhaustive recruiting and then months of intensive credential review, the next entering class still hangs in the balance for colleges and universities. In my own experience as dean of admission, while my colleagues and I were confident each class would materialize as surely as a rite of spring—history offered that assurance—we never felt secure in that knowledge until the last enrollment deposit was received.
We could imagine the fully formed class but we still couldn’t see it. It remained a work in progress on a very tight schedule and that only added to the angst. Twice daily trips to the campus mailroom didn’t produce more immediate results and, at times, only added to the frustration. And, yes, there were times when misplaced mail pouches caused near meltdowns among anxious observers.
Adding to the angst felt in the admission office was the seemingly incessant and increasingly impatient stream of calls and emails from the “higher ups” on campus regarding the status of the class. “How do the numbers look today? How does that compare with last year at this time?” “When will we know if we need to go to the Wait List?” “How many scholars have enrolled?” “How does the yield look on our financial aid offers?”
So many questions for which there were, at best, partial answers. We were always confident in the credentials of the students we had admitted, however, we knew they would be attractive to our competitors as well. We admitted these students because we saw them as good fits for our campus. Now, we had to convince them that our school was the best fit for them.
The offers of admission had been made weeks earlier and financial aid awards followed soon after. The open house for accepted students had been a success. Now, phonathons featuring our most engaging students and faculty worked overtime to make accepted students feel welcome and wanted. And families continued to visit the campus for one last look before making the final choice of a college.
Unfortunately, no amount of hard work or worry on the part of the admission staff could hasten the outcome. While our history told us that the class would indeed materialize, it also told us that 75-80% of the non-Early Decision enrollments would arrive after April 25! All we could do was “hurry up and wait.”
I offer this perspective because similar scenarios are playing out on hundreds of college campuses around the country—right now! You might find it only fitting that college officials feel the stress and uncertainty of a process that has exacted a similar toll on you and your family. After all, as a college applicant, you have been living the “hurry up and wait” experience for months.
The proverbial “ball” is now in your court and you need to determine your next course of action. After waiting for months to learn of your acceptances, you have to stop everything that might be going on in your life to focus on choosing a college. The timing isn’t great, but you have little choice. You have worked hard to put yourself in the position of being able to make the final choice and no one can blame you for wanting to take full measure of the time available before the May 1 deadline. Nonetheless, you need to act soon.
By the way, May 1 is not an arbitrary deadline set to ease the anxieties of admission officers. College officials have a very short turn-around time after the enrollment process is completed in which to assign academic advisors, set the academic schedule, complete course registrations and order classroom materials for the coming fall. In addition, they need to make housing assignments, verify financial aid awards, set their operating budgets and set up the billing process for a new group of students. As you can see, May 1 is certainly not any more convenient for colleges than it is for the students they admit.
The bottom line: it is important that you honor the deadlines and requirements that have been placed before you. Choose one school and inform the rest of your decision. Resist the temptation to submit enrollment deposits to three or four or five colleges now so you can make your decision later. Instead, follow your instincts to the place that fits you best and begin to invest in becoming a first-year student at that college.
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