College Planning Blog

The college admission process can produce some interesting personal dilemmas. One such quandary was brought to my attention in a phone call last week from a young man who was trying to sort out an Early Decision opportunity. A competitive athlete, he had been approached by a recruiting coach from an NCAA Divison III (non-scholarship) school with the suggestion that he convert his application for admission from Regular Decision to Early Decision (ED). Moreover, the coach had assured the young man that if his application for financial aid did not produce the desired assistance from this institution, he would not be held to his commitment to enroll if accepted ED.

The caller was understandably excited and confused by this development. While he liked the school very much, he couldn’t say for sure that it was his first choice. This is largely due to his need for financial aid. In fact, the uncertainty of his financial aid situation had led him to actively consider other schools as well. Moreover, he also understood the underlying premise of the unconditional commitment to enroll if accepted that is assumed of ED candidates. As a result, he was skeptical of the pitch he had been given by this coach.

My advice to the young man was simple: “If you need to make sure you get the best financial aid possible and there is a chance other schools might admit you and give you better offers, then don’t give up your right to see those offers by converting your application to ED at one school. The coach is behaving unethically by making this suggestion. Don’t compound the problem by heading down that road with him.” I’m not sure I told this young man anything he didn’t already suspect to be true, but our chat gave him the confidence to respond to the coach’s overtures.

That said, as a college applicant you need to be especially vigilant about the ethics of the process. The desire to get into favored schools should never put you in a place where you compromise your integrity or the rules governing the process. Unfortunately, the coach in question was crossing the ethical “line” by asking the applicant to consider an Early Decision application when he knew the young man could only do so conditionally due to his financial situation. The good news is the young man had the presence of mind to step back and assess the situation objectively.

Now, in case you’re checking the calendar and wondering how this conversation between the coach and the applicant could be taking place as the “round two” deadlines for ED have passed at most schools, welcome to the world of college admission in 2008! These are the days when selective colleges do what they can to pump up their yields on offers of admission while looking for opportunities to reduce the overall number of students they need to admit and, hence, become more selective. Add to the mix the dynamics of athletic recruitment–even at the NCAA Division III non-scholarship level–and the opportunity for late-season Early Decision conversations emerges.

A few other observations are worth noting here. One, the NCAA forbids Division III athletic recruiters from having any conversation about family finances with the financial aid officers at their respective institutions. In short, an athlete’s potential involvement in an NCAA Division III program may NOT have any bearing on the disposition of his/her financial aid status. Two, each institution employs slightly different criterion in assessing a student’s academic strength within the context of its financial aid program. It is not only possible that a recruit’s financial “need” could be read differently from one school to the next, the strength of his academic credential may also result in differences in the composition of the financial aid awards he receives. Whereas a student athlete may qualify for special consideration academically at one school, at others he may not.

Finally, the late season ED phenomenon is not limited to recruited athletes. Admission officers at many selective schools will keep the application “door” open past formal deadlines as they troll for high-yielding ED conversions well into February of the admission process. Should you be confronted with such an opportunity, just remember-the rules remain the same. If you convert your application to ED, you are making an unconditional commitment to enroll if accepted.

Inside the Numbers
A little background might prove useful in establishing the grounds for the late ED question in the first place, so let’s take a look inside the numbers and think: enrollment management. Colleges that want to improve their yields and become more selective can simply turn to their Early Decision programs for easy solutions. Whereas admission officers at most schools must admit 4-5 Regular Decision applicants in order to enroll one, ED programs allow them the efficiency of “admitting one applicant to get one.” For every additional ED enrollment that can be counted, then, 4-5 fewer students need to be admitted in the Regular Decision process to fill that same place in the class.

Consider the impact of such a strategy on a larger scale. A college or university that can attract 50 more ED enrollments over the previous year reduces by as many as 250 Regular Decision students it would otherwise need to admit to fill those places in the class. As a result, the more ED enrollments a school can stockpile, the more selective it becomes.

Two days ago I found myself talking with Jean and her parents about her college future. Jean had submitted six applications including one for Early Action consideration. Now, however, a deferral letter from the EA school had shaken her confidence. While she wasn’t hysterical, it was clear that Jean was questioning herself. Would she get in? Could she get in? And what about her chances of finding admission to the other, equally selective universities to which she applied?

These were all good questions. While Jean possesses the academic credentials to be competitive for admission at any college or university in the country, the deferral letter had left her wondering what it would take to get in and had she done all she could do. I couldn’t find fault with the schools she had chosen nor the process she had followed in choosing them. On the surface, they all made sense for her–they were good fits. Digging deeper, however, I was able to uncover factors that might have influenced the outcome of her EA application and, if not addressed, would certainly have an impact on the outcomes of her other applications.

First, although Jean and her parents had been evaluating college options since her 9th grade year, she hadn’t visited any of the campuses in the last eighteen months. More specifically, she had never formally visited the school to which she applied EA. Despite her passion for the place, its admission officers had no way of knowing about her. Second, she had not sufficiently established her “hook”–the credential that might set her apart from her peers in a tight competition. A student leader and two-sport athlete with aspirations for playing in college, Jean had not made contact with college athletic recruiters in her sports. Finally, Jean had indicated on her application for admission that she would be a candidate for financial aid–a factor that could complicate things even at an institution that is reputedly “need blind” in the admission process.

As I talked with Jean, I wanted her to understand how the EA university might have reacted to her application. While she is a great candidate academically, the admission officers could afford to look for more as she competed with thousands of others who looked just like her. In making its decisions, the admission committee wasn’t asking: “Is she good enough?” Rather it was making a series of value judgments: “Who among these great candidates do we value most? What does this candidate bring us as we attempt to build a new community?”

In Jean’s case, when the admission officers asked, “If we admit her, what do we get?” nothing jumped out at them. What’s worse, they could find no evidence of her interest in their school when they asked, “What is the likelihood that she will come?” Uncertain of her level of interest and likely contributions, it is reasonable to assume that the next question of Jean was, “Is this someone in whom we are prepared to make a financial investment?”

It wasn’t long before Jean and her parents began to see the logic of the decision-making process at the highly selective schools to which she was applying. They could now rationalize the EA decision. More importantly, the despair that had hovered over the start of the conversation had given way to an excited sense of possibility as Jean began to develop a new “To Do” list. Even at this time of the year, Jean realized that it is not too late to get on the radar screens of the schools to which she had applied. Specifically, she saw the need to eliminate the perception that her interest in a given school is random while conveying a sense of the passion and talent within her that would set her apart from the rest of the competition.

Jean would make immediate plans to visit the campuses of the “high priority” schools on her list and attempt to introduce herself to the person(s) responsible for recruiting in her region. She will make sure they have her most recent grades as well as documentation of a couple of honors that have come her way since she submitted her applications. She also took heart in the possibility that she could still contact the coaches at some of the smaller colleges on her list and make sure they got the tapes of her athletic performance.

I admire Jean for her response to the situation. Rather than hanging her head and feeling pessimistic about her college future, she is already taking steps to affect the outcomes. Realizing that applying to college is a process and not an event, she is asserting herself. In doing so, she will eliminate the randomness of her application.

Will this new-found self-advocacy assure Jean admission to her favorite schools? Not necessarily. It will, however, give her the chance she deserves. At the very least, the schools on her list now have reason to pause in considering her possible contributions to the communities they are building. Now, they will have a better idea of what they get should they admit Jean–and they’ll have more confidence that hers is a serious interest that could result in her enrollment if accepted. Finally, if they value her for what she has to offer, they will be more likely to invest in her with financial aid and/or scholarships.

Consider the possibilities as they exist for you. When you apply for admission, take charge of the process. Seize the opportunity to build relationships with decision-makers (admission officers) at the schools that are important to you and be sure to tell your story. Give the admission officers every reason to want to include you in the communities they are building as they admit their entering classes!

To learn more about what is going on behind the closed doors of the admission office and to ask questions about what you can do now to make a difference with your application, plan to join the January 22 Straight Talk About College Admission teleseminar, “Taking Stock of What is Going on Around You.” Go to http://www.theadmissiongame.com/teleseminar_registration.php to learn more about the program and to register for the toll-free call-in information.

Or, more specifically, “Will I have a better chance of getting in if I apply Early Decision?” That seems to be the question for many students as they try to calculate the best route to approach their top choice colleges. If a first choice is emerging from your short list of colleges, this question may be weighing on your mind as well.

Between the Lines: The Early Decision Commitment
Early Decision (ED) is an application option that enables you to apply for admission and receive a decision in advance of the Regular admission process. In order to apply ED, you must declare your intent to enroll if accepted. Should you be accepted, you also promise to immediately withdraw any other applications for regular admission that you may have submitted to other colleges.

The Early Decision or ED option has become very popular among students as they seek to improve their chances of admission in what are bound to be tight competitions. Students who choose to apply ED are prepared to forego potential opportunities at other institutions in favor of an early–and binding–commitment to one. If they are dead certain of that commitment, choosing to apply ED can make a difference. Many also see a successful ED application as the ticket out of an application process than can drag on interminably throughout the senior year.

If you have found a clear favorite on your short list of colleges, you might be considering an ED application yourself. This is serious stuff, though. ED embodies a commitment–kind of like taking the “big” step in a relationship. Before moving forward, you need to be absolutely, beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt certain you are ready to do it. Just as in a relationship, there are lots of factors to consider.

“What if they don’t take me?” “What if I get in but they don’t give me the financial aid I need?” “Can I change my mind if a better offer comes along later?” “How can I be sure I will feel the same way about the school six months from now?” Unfortunately, there are no guaranteed outcomes when considering the ED option. Thus it is clear, Early Decision is not for everyone.

So, what’s the scoop with Early Decision? Colleges’ tendencies with regard to Early Decision (ED) have changed dramatically over the years. Originally an application option extended by elite institutions to their best candidates, ED has become the perfect marriage between institutions with complex enrollment agendas and students on the competitive bubble who are eager to improve their chances of admission at those schools. Let’s take a closer look at how and why colleges utilize their ED programs.

The admission process is an opportunity for colleges to manage enrollment–to maintain or improve levels of selectivity while enrolling just the right number of students. When the number of applicants far exceeds the number of places to be filled, institutions must calculate closely the number of students to be admitted or run the risk of missing badly on their enrollments. One way they can reduce this risk is by accepting students in smaller increments (with staggered deadlines) that allows them to monitor the yield on offers more closely. At many places, the first such increment is the Early Decision or, in some cases, Early Action (non-binding) program.

A secondary benefit to the process of incrementally admitting and enrolling the class is that admission officers are able to keep an eye on selectivity (a.k.a. admit ratio) and yield as it relates to the overall enrollment process. In addition to enrolling the class, admission officers at most schools are eager to demonstrate greater selectivity (limit the number of offers made) while improving the yield (percentage of accepted students who enroll). By planning to admit more high yielding Early Decision candidates, they address both of these objectives.

Clearly, then ED presents advantages to both students and the institutions they are considering. It’s not a perfect solution, however, and the decision to apply ED cannot be taken lightly. To learn more about the “pluses and minuses” of the Early Decision option, join the “Straight Talk About College Admission” teleseminar at 9 PM ET on Tuesday, November 20. Click here to register.

Note: The text for this blog is taken from Chapter 13, “Playing the Early Decision Card,” of Winning the College Admission Game: Strategies for Students.

Not long ago, I posted a blog that featured an email exchange regarding the merits of applying Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA). This has prompted a number of other conversations including one that explores the real advantages to applying EA. Here’s the question:

If I apply to a college that offers Early Action, would this be an advantage as my application would be seen earlier and, possibly, be considered more carefully? Also, I heard that a lot of colleges accept a decent percentage of students who apply early action. Can I apply to more than one school that offers early action? I’m not sure what I should do in this case.

The writer is clearly very perceptive about the potential advantages to being seen earlier in the competition. However, as you will see in my response, I am not sure that you can infer accurately that earlier reviews will be more thorough or advantageous to the applicant. The following are my responses to what really amounted to three questions:

Your Early Action question is a good one. My hunch is that applying EA won’t give you much of an advantage if any at all. If you were applying Early Decision, then you would probably have an advantage as ED is a strategy used by colleges to boost their yields and become more selective. In such situations, they tend to cut applicants breaks in order to get the number they want.

Since you are not obligated to enroll if accepted EA, admission committees are less likely to cut you a break. And, believe it or not, many committees tend to proceed cautiously early in their reading as they don’t want to “set the bar” too low. I have not seen any statistics that support the notion that schools accept at a higher rate in EA (as would be the case in ED).

You need to be careful about applying to more than one college EA. Most schools regard that as unethical and some are explicit with “Single Choice EA” application requirements. This means that while you may apply to multiple colleges concurrently, you can only submit one EA application. If you have a clear first choice and that school offers the EA option, you have nothing to lose. If they say “yes,” you’re all set. If they don’t, then at least you know you need to take your other options more seriously.

If you are a college applicant, you are no doubt feeling a great deal of pressure to narrow your list of schools and consider strategies that will help you get in. Using the ED option as a strategy is not a good idea unless you are dead certain that you will enroll if admitted (and that means you have put to rest any related financial concerns). I can’t tell you how many students get in ED and are already beginning to re-think their selections by April of the senior year.

Using EA as a strategy is not as risky largely because you are not committed to enroll if accepted. That is why, however, schools that offer EA are not as likely to think expansively about the applicants they might tag with an EA acceptance. Just make sure you read the not-so-fine print that describes the EA agreement at the school you are considering.

The “Getting In” Track of the “Straight Talk About College Admission” teleseminar series on November 20th will feature a further discussion of Early Decision. Go to http://www.theadmissiongame.com/college_planning_teleseminars.php for more information about signing up.

As we head into the college application season, more and more families are wrestling with questions about how to apply, when to apply and which form to use. Some are also getting to the point where Early Decision looms as a real possibility. This is a topic that will get a fair amount of treatment in this space as well as the The College Planning Newsletter in the coming months. The “Getting In” (November 20) track of the Straight Talk About College Admission teleseminar series will feature a discussion of Early Decision as well. Go to www.theadmissiongame.com/college_planning_teleseminars.php for more information about signing up.

Today, however, I would to replay an email exchange I had with a parent earlier in the week regarding the feasibility of Early Decision as the circumstances and the question posed may be similar to those experienced by many others. Here is the question:

“My daughter is applying to “College X”. It is her first choice school. Her SAT scores and GPA far surpass the college’s average for admitted students and we will not be applying for Financial Aid. Both ED [Early Decision] and EA [Early Action] are offered and both have the same deadline - 11/15. My daughter expressed strong interest in ED as a way to ease the anxiety faster as the “let know” date is 12/15. I think this college would be more likely to offer her a Merit Scholarship under EA, to attract her to “choose them”. The “let know” date for EA is “late January”. Do you think my idea re: the EA/scholarship money has any merit? Please let me know what you would do in this situation - ED or EA?”

It should be noted that ED (Early Decision) represents a binding commitment for students seeking an early response from colleges. ED candidates are promising to enroll if admitted. EA (Early Action) is another opportunity for students to apply for and receive and early notification from some colleges, however, they are not committed to enroll if accepted. And now for my response.

“The dilemma you describe is certainly a happy one. Fortunately, I think the solution is fairly straightforward and it rests on your family’s priorities. If “getting in” and putting the process behind her is of paramount importance, then ED is the route to go. On the other hand, if getting a merit award is the priority, then your solution — or even applying Regular Decision — may be advantageous.

The fact that you apparently do not need financial aid is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you presumably have the resources to support your daughter’s educational costs. On the other, it sounds like you would still welcome an easement to the cash flow demands that tuition payments will place on you. If you can manage the finances, though, I would not try to impose the EA strategy. If you do and it doesn’t work (she doesn’t get in, or she doesn’t get a scholarship), guess who will be to blame as the misery of an interminable winter wears on!

As you decide on the ED/EA question don’t be too quick to make assumptions. The fact that her credentials seem to “far surpass” the college’s average is neither a guarantee of admission nor an indication that she will receive a merit award if admitted. Unless someone at the college has mentioned the possibility, you should assume that a scholarship will not be in the picture and then be happily surprised if one falls out of the sky!

Finally, if she does opt for ED, remind her that she doesn’t get a free pass on the balance of the year academically. College X is among the schools that will watch second semester senior year performances very carefully.”

Please feel free to send your questions to me at Peter@TheAdmissionGame.com. I will only post them here with your permission.

Also, please note that when you subscribe to The College Planning Newsletter and/or the Straight Talk teleseminars that you will need to make an adjustment to your spam filter to allow for incoming messages from TheAdmissionGame.com. Thanks!

With the fall calendar of college entrance testing fast approaching, I am hearing a lot of conversations about the need to do something to prep for “the test.” While I am not a fan of standardized testing, it still looms prominently on the horizon for most students as they assemble college application credentials. Even though 741 colleges and universities have made the submission of test results optional (topic for another day!), testing is still something you will have to deal with at most colleges.

So, what about test prep? Can it make a difference? If so, how/when do you get involved?

There is an emerging consensus among college access professionals that supports the long-held contention of the folks in the test prep world that tests are coach-able. In other words, students can usually improve their scores through exposure to a range of exercises including tutoring, practice tests, instructor-led programs and on-line courses. The key word here is exposure. If the first time a student experiences the SAT or the ACT is on a Saturday morning with the clock ticking and the results counting toward college admission, the outcome may not be a good indicator of that student’s true ability to handle the content of the test.

Good test prep will provide exposure in three critical areas. The first is an orientation to the dynamic of the testing situation. It is important to establish a comfort level with the format and pacing of the test as well as the rules of the test environment and the style of the questions that will be asked. Second, students should be exposed to question content that is similar to that which they will encounter on the actual test. Some test prep programs use “retired” tests for this purpose while others create close replicas intended to serve the same purpose.

Finally, good test prep programs teach students how to take the test. On the surface, this may not seem like a big deal. However, the ability to apply strategies that reduce the degree of uncertainty in some testing situations can make a substantial difference in the outcomes. The SAT, for example, is scored on the basis of correct answers and it can be argued that making “educated guesses” is better than leaving questions unanswered.

The trick is to find a right test prep solution that provides exposure in each of these areas and that provides a style of instruction that is best suited to how the student learns most comfortably as well as her/his degree of self-motivation. On-line courses work very well for some students and tend to be less expensive whereas other students benefit from the presence of a “live” instructor or even a one-on-one approach.

Important Tips for Considering Test Prep:

1.) Engage in instruction during the period that immediately precedes the actual test.

2.) Be discriminating about the claims of test prep companies to improve scores. Make sure the score improvement they reference is from one actual test to another, not from an actual test to the results of a practice test taken at the end of the course.

3.) Maintain perspective as there is a point of diminishing returns for involvement in test prep. Repeating test prep over and over won’t continue to bring incremental improvements.

4.) Prep the old-fashion way—read and write as much as you can and make sure you are well rested the night before the test.

This is the all-too-frequent response of students to the suggestion that they capitalize on their demonstrated strengths in the fine and performing arts when they apply for admission. It’s almost as though they are afraid they will be regarded as academic imposters for failing to be true to their natural calling!

It happened again last week in a presentation I made to a group of students and parents. As I was talking about the need to for candidates to reveal their talents—to make a tape, burn a CD or put together a portfolio, a young flutist expressed curiosity about doing so since she had no interest in pursuing formal study of the flute in college. When I asked if the flute was and would continue to be a defining element of her life, she didn’t hesitate to assure me it would be. I then pointed out that her passion would carry little weight in the admission process if she didn’t give admission committees the opportunity to draw their own conclusions about its potential importance to their respective communities. If she had any inclination at all to continue playing in ensembles, marching bands or orchestras—and if she wanted to be valued for this potential—she needed to make her talent known.

The irony is that student athletes do this without fail. Every year, thousands of college applicants actively parlay their athletic talents/exploits into offers of admission at institutions where not every qualified candidate can be admitted. Only a fraction of these candidates have any reasonable chance of competing professionally in their respective sports. Nonetheless, their talents are valued by schools that wish to field competitive team—even at the non-scholarship, small college level of competition. If athletes can find a competitive edge by submitting tapes and meeting with coaches, why shouldn’t musicians, dancers, artists and actors benefit as well?

As admission committees go about their work, they are much like social engineers whose task is to assemble a new community from the array of talents represented in the applicants it is considering. Success in the admission process, then, rests just as much on a student’s ability to anticipate this as it does on most things academic. When everything else is equal—or close to equal—academically in the competition, it is not uncommon for an admission officer to ask the question of a given candidate, “If we admit her, what do we get?”

It is important, then, that students anticipate this question and take stock of what they have to offer the colleges to which they are applying. What are their gifts? What might an admission committee see in their talents that might give a given student an advantage in the competition? So, even if you have no interest in making a career out of playing the flute or the trumpet or the violin, make sure you do what you can to reveal your talents.

IMPORTANT TIP: Send a copy of your recording/portfolio to the Admission Office with your application AND a copy to the director of the program that interests you. Make sure you label all copies with your name, address and the contents. Do this early in the admission process—certainly no later than the application deadline.

Reminder: The Introductory Straight Talk About College Admission teleseminar entitled, “College Rankings: What They Mean and How to Use Them,” takes place this Wednesday (September 19) at 9:00 PM EST. Please register at http://www.TheAdmissionGame.com by noon EST on Tuesday.

I recently heard from a friend whose son is about to apply to colleges. As his son begins to narrow his focus on a short list of colleges, though, I sensed a bit of worry when his dad asked, “What happens if you apply as one major, say in the arts, get in, and then try to transfer to a new major in the second year?” What he really wanted to know was “will an interest in theatre help him get in and receive funding even though I think it would be a good idea for him to pursue something else in his second year?” Interestingly, my friend acknowledged his son’s demonstrated passion for theatre. He just wasn’t sure that program held much value to his son except at the point of entrance into a university.

My advice to this friend was easy and direct. “Encourage your son to follow his passion as that instinct will serve him now and in the future.” It’s hard to tell whether the theatre interest will help or hurt in the competition for admission because the competition at each school will be different. Frankly, at some places he’ll need to audition and show good grades in order to get in. At others, his talents may be sufficient to gain him admission and scholarship recognition. That is why he needs to put himself in an academic environment in which he feels most comfortable—where he fits well and can compete.

The good news for the young man in question is that theatre is the program he really wants so the question of having to change majors or programs isn’t really on his mind. Rather, it was his dad’s issue. It was his dad who was willing to humor him the interest in theatre in order to get in and receive funding as long as he would be able to switch out of theatre once enrolled.

This part of my friend’s question speaks to the natural tension that often exists between the instincts of the parents and the desires of the student (I talk about this in Chapter One, “Adjusting to Life in the Passenger Seat,” of Winning the College Admission Game.). My advice will always be to encourage the young person follow his passion. He needs to be able to make the decisions and own the outcomes. The last thing a parent should want is to be the one responsible for the success or failure his child experiences. In this instance, following dad’s script could be a recipe for disaster.

If this young man tries theatre arts, it should be because he is most comfortable with that direction and because he is most likely to invest in making good things happen in that arena. He should learn from the experience of discovery in that regard. That said, the odds are he will still change his mind on his own—or at least reshape his interests several times before he graduates. The best academic environment for him, then, will be the one that allows him the flexibility to find his way as he encounters new opportunities.