STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

It is that time of year when the outcome of Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) applications becomes known. While many applicants receive good news that assures them seats at places of their choices, others are left wondering about next steps in the application process. Let’s take a look at the possible outcomes along with recommendations for moving forward in each case.

1. You’re accepted!
This is great news—now you can exhale! As you do, however, remember what this means. In the case of both ED and EA, you have been assured a place in the entering class at the school in question. Is it a guarantee? Well, sort of. In not so small print, most acceptance letters remind you that the offer of admission is contingent on your completion of the senior year at the same level of performance that won you admission. The admission office at that school will continue to track your performance through graduation all the while reserving the right to withdraw its offer (and your place in the class) if you fail to live up to your end of the bargain. So…

• Relax and have fun, but keep going to class and perform at the highest level possible.
• Resist the temptation to “modify” your academic course load for the balance of the year.
• Make sure any subsequent changes in program or performance are addressed in updates to your application file. You don’t want admission officers to have to guess about any unexplained irregularities that materialize after you have been admitted.

Honor the commitment. While both ED and EA offers of admission bring peace of mind, the ED offer also requires you to take action by completing the enrollment process. As an admitted ED candidate, you must:

• Withdraw all other applications including those at schools where you might be under consideration for any type of scholarship. Your ED commitment means you have agreed to forfeit those other possibilities.
• Submit your enrollment deposit by the designated date in your acceptance letter.

Your next steps if financial aid is involved: If you have been admitted ED and are an established applicant for financial aid, i.e., submitted the required forms in a timely fashion, you have the right to see—and accept—your financial aid award letter before withdrawing other applications and submitting your enrollment deposit. If you operated in good faith with regard to applying for financial aid, make sure you understand and are comfortable with the financial aid award that has been offered.

On the other hand, don’t expect an extension on your enrollment deadline in order to complete the financial aid forms (if you are starting that process after the offer of admission has been made) or to compare financial aid awards with other schools. Similarly, you might be expected to enroll before learning your status with regard to scholarships for which you have applied at that school.

2. You have been deferred or denied.
Frankly, any decision letter that doesn’t start with “Congratulations!” can’t be delivering good news. Rather, the words are telling you that you can’t have something that was very important to you. While the message is bound to hurt, let’s examine it further.

If you have been denied, the outcome is clear. There will be no further review. It is time to move on.

If you have been deferred, the admission committee is demonstrating its reluctance to commit to you now. It wants to see more information (updated grades, new accomplishments, etc.) from you and to see how your credentials fit in the overall candidate pool before making a final decision. As a result, you still have “hope” for a positive outcome. Generally speaking, however, deferred candidates don’t fare as well later in the admission process. The dynamics of ED at most places are such that if an admission committee thinks it might admit you as a regular candidate, it most often will admit you as an ED candidate.

In the case of either deferral or denial, you are effectively being set free from any commitment. You are a “free agent” able to re-focus on other schools on your short list that presumably represent good fits for you. Things will work out. Some of these places will even resurface as strong suitors encouraging you to think about converting your application from “Regular” admission to Early Decision Round Two at their schools. This is a viable option, however, be careful not to react emotionally to such opportunities. Make sure you are embracing a healthy, positive, constructive opportunity rather than rebounding from a situation that resulted in great disappointment. Early Decision, even through a Round Two option, still involves a commitment. Make sure it’s the right place for you.

Believe in you! In the mass mayhem of ED and EA, self-worth seems to ride on the coattails of each outcome. Just as you might be flying high with a letter of acceptance, it is also easy to feel like you have somehow failed if you are not admitted to the school of your choice. Don’t succumb to that notion. That school has simply made other choices based on agendas, seen and unseen. In the process, it missed an opportunity to choose you.

You will find wonderful opportunities at other schools if you only allow yourself to see them. Don’t ever stop believing in you. As long as you don’t lose sight of who you are and what you hope to accomplish in college and in life, you will be fine.

Do you know you have rights as a college applicant?

Well, you do. As you apply to colleges, you have the right to certain information about them including information about how much it will cost you to attend. According to the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), a member organization that includes more than 11,000 college access professionals around the USA and beyond, you have the right to:

• “Receive factual and comprehensive information from colleges and universities about their admission, financial costs, aid opportunities, practices and packaging policies, and housing policies. If you consider applying under an early admission plan, you have the right to complete information from the college about its process and policies.”
• “Be free from high-pressure sales tactics.”
• “Wait until May 1 to respond to an offer of admission or financial aid.”

In order to make good decisions, you need good information and, quite often, a reasonable amount of time in which to consider your options. Toward that end, NACAC further stipulates that:

• “Colleges that request commitments to offers of admission and/or financial assistance prior to May 1 must clearly offer you the opportunity to request (in writing) an extension until May 1. They must grant you the extension and your request may not jeopardize your status for admission and/or financial aid.”
• “Candidates admitted under early decision programs are a recognized exception to the May 1 deadline.”

It is important to note that May 1 is regarded as the “Candidate’s Reply Date”—the date by which admitted applicants must make their final college choices. That date was established years ago to allow students a reasonable amount of time to consider their college options and to give colleges a date by which they could begin the registration process (course selections and housing) for the coming year. If you are not an Early Decision candidate, then, you should be afforded time to process admission decisions and financial aid awards that you receive from various colleges and universities.

That said, it is easy to fall prey to pressures to make enrollment commitments before you are ready. For example, you may have already encountered enticements such as early or “priority” application deadlines associated with scholarships or housing preferences. Some colleges may offer you scholarships that you can only claim by enrolling well ahead of May 1. And, if you applied to schools that offer “Rolling Admission,” you may be offered admission with the expectation that you will submit a non-refundable enrollment deposit—as soon as possible!

If you feel uncomfortable about the conditions that seem to be placed on your admission status, there is probably a good reason to proceed with caution. Listen to your instincts. And recognize the circumstances for what they are. The colleges in question are attempting to secure as many enrolled students as early in the process as possible.

If you don’t feel you are in possession of the information necessary to allow you to move forward comfortably with a particular college, ask for an extension. It’s not likely that your enrollment opportunity will be withdrawn if you miss a deadline (May 1 is the possible exception). And communicate your concerns with your college advisor as well. If the college remains insistent, ask yourself whether this is the sort of place with which you want to be associated for the next four years.

NACAC has produced a number of important documents that help to define ethical, albeit not legally binding, behavior for everyone involved in the admission process. You can learn more about your rights and responsibilities as an applicant at the Policies and Statements page on the NACAC website. Click on “Statement of Students’ Rights and Responsibilities in the College Admission Process.” In addition, you may find the “Statement of Principles of Good Practice,” a document that guides the actions of colleges and universities, to be instructive as well.

Call me crazy, but I have decided to run a half marathon in June of 2012. It won’t be just any race. No, for my first distance running experience, I have elected to navigate 14+ miles along the pristine Alpine ridges that front Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in western Europe.

And why would I aspire to such a foolhardy notion? After all, the length, altitude and overall ascent of this “race” (nearly one mile) pose challenges for even those who are accomplished runners.

Well, let’s see. I was active athletically as a young(er) adult—and I remain reasonably fit. I love to compete and embrace opportunities to test myself. I understand the meaning of rigorous training and am willing to commit (I think) to the regimen. Besides, the scenery is breathtaking—and wouldn’t it be exhilarating to sprint triumphantly across the finish line to spirited strains of the village brass ensemble?! Ah, what a dream ending that would be!

The bottom line: the race, or rather the course on which it will be run, represents a challenge—an obstacle to be overcome—a race to be won.  Or does it?

At an earlier time in my life, I might have been tempted to look at this race as a competitive opportunity. Now, however, I need to be “real” about what lies before me. My younger brother is a marathoner who has begun preparing for “iron man” competitions as well. He’ll be in the race, too, and “competing” makes sense for him. This is his “thing” and he is committed to performing at a high level. Intellectually, I understand what he does and how he does it. And, there are times when I ponder the same possibilities for myself, that “I can do that, too…” The truth be known, my current training regimen is akin to his warm-up!

As I approach the race, then, I think I have a pretty good handle on reality. My expectation is not to win the race but to do as well as I can. I can run and I love to compete. However, failing to recognize the limitations that have befallen me due to age and a rather sedentary lifestyle would expose me to untold risks, the least of which would be coming short of the finish line. Therefore, I need to be smart about my approach to the tactical aspects (knowing when to walk, run or take a seat!) of navigating the course as well as the manner in which I train.

And, while it is easy to get swept up in the excitement of the event, not to mention the inevitable sibling rivalry, I need to manage my expectations around the reality of my performance capabilities.

The same is true of students (and their parents) in the college planning process. Just as finishing the half marathon is an assumed outcome for most of those who enter it, going to college is a reasonable assumption for students as they prepare to compete for admission. Where each contestant finishes—and how s/he feels about the outcome—though, is highly dependent on expectations. If expectations are congruent with performance capabilities (scores, courses and grades) and a realistic assessment of the variables to be encountered along the way, then the outcomes—whatever they might be—will be celebrated.

On the other hand, expectations that are allowed to run unchecked can prove calamitous if they are unmet. It is then—when students don’t get into their dream colleges—that outcomes point to failure, effort is second-guessed and self-worth takes a big hit. All of this can be avoided, however, by managing expectations through an honestly framed perspective—which brings us to the present.

The start of school marks the unofficial beginning of the college application process. Excitement abounds as the possibilities seem limitless. It is a time when the competitive playing field is most level and even the “casual runner” can dream of running at the head of the pack. Heaven knows I’d love to win the marathon or at least be the top American finisher. Okay, being the top finisher in my age group would even feel good. But I enter the race knowing my limitations and set my goals accordingly.

Be smart about your “race,” too. Know who you are—your strengths and weaknesses. Know what you have to offer and what you want to get out of your college experience. Then, set your course—and your expectations—accordingly in order to put yourself in the best position possible to achieve your goals. It is okay to dream. Go ahead and think big. As you do, however, keep one foot firmly planted on the “rock of reality.” Stay the course that makes sense for you so you are well pleased with the outcomes when you reach the “finish line.”

Many high school seniors are entering one of the most critical phases of the college admission process—and they don’t even know it! This is the time of the year when admission officers watch to see what students do when it would seem the spotlight is no longer on them. They want to see how you respond down the “stretch run” of the senior year.

Consider the mile race, as it is an apt metaphor for your high school experience. To complete the race, you must circle the track four times just as you must finish four years of high school in order to graduate. Winning the race—or finishing high school with distinction—requires you to endure the grueling pace of the last lap—and still have what it takes to sprint when the race is on the line.

Let’s suppose, then, that your race has gone exceedingly well through the first three laps. You jumped out to an early lead and have maintained a strong pace. And now, as you push ahead into the last lap you are by yourself at the head of the pack. You can’t even see the competition! This is a critical stage of the race because you begin to ask yourself, “Do I really need to work that hard? I have this race won. Why not save myself for the next race and spare the inevitable agony that otherwise comes with a sprint to the finish?”

The question you really need to ask yourself, though, is: “What have I won?” The answer is simple. “You haven’t won a thing!” You may have a “feel-good” feeling about where you are in the competition, but the race isn’t over. Moreover, changing your approach during the last lap could prove costly as other runners are bound to be pushing hard to catch up.

The same is true of your high school experience where each year is like a lap of the race. Each year has been important academically as you prepared to step up and meet the challenge of the year that follows. Having done well through your Junior Year may have left you feeling good about your prospects of graduating and getting into the colleges of your choice. Now, as the “finish line” draws near, you need to ask yourself, “What have I really accomplished at this point? How many colleges have accepted me?”

The Senior Year is the all-important “last lap” of your high school experience—and all of it counts! If your objective is to not only graduate, but to get into colleges that are selecting from among hundreds if not thousands of compelling candidates, you need to be attentive to how you finish the “race.”

Even now, in early March of your Senior Year, the outcome of the race has yet to be determined. In fact, admission officers at highly selective institutions are waiting and watching to see what you do academically when you don’t think you have to do anything. They want to see who among the competitive applicants will sprint—or stumble—when the race is on the line. And many of them will wait until the end of March to make their final decisions.

So, stay focused academically. Continue to get the most out of your high school experience—even when it would seem that doing nothing is a viable option. Give admission officers every reason to be excited about you as you sprint to the finish!