Seniors
Upon returning from the summer break, your focus will be on finalizing your college list, completing your applications, confirming your teacher recommendations, and determining which application process you will pursue. You will complete a Senior Update Survey on MaiaLearning to update your counselor on your summer experiences and then follow up with meetings to discuss your next steps.
Included in the "Resources" section under "Downloads" are some worksheets to guide you through the fall months. It is vitally important for students to check school email, the Canvas page, and MaiaLearning on a regular basis, as the College Office will frequently relay important information about tasks and deadlines.
You may wish to apply under an early application program. Typically, these applications must be completed by November 1 or 15, and a decision reaches you in December or January. You may also want to apply regular decision in which case the application is typically due January 1 or 15 and your decision reaches you early March through early April. Talk to your college counselor about these options.
Options and Deadlines
For every application you complete there will be deadlines to which you must adhere in order to become a candidate for admission. They are defined as follows:
Regular Admissions
The student applies by a certain deadline, usually between January 1 and March 1, and is notified of a decision on or shortly after a specific date, most often between early March and early April.
Early Decision (and Early Decision II)
The Early Decision (ED) deadline is often November 1 (ED II is often January) and the student is usually notified of the college’s decision in December or January. One of three decisions is rendered: Admit, Defer, or Deny. A student that receives a fall admit to an ED application is bound to attend the college and must withdraw any other active applications. Applications that are deferred are simply put back in the pile and looked at again with the regular pool of applicants. If deferred, they are no longer committed to attending the college should they be accepted later in the year. Some colleges have a policy of denying Early Decision applicants not chosen early, rather than deferring them to the regular pool. While an outright denial can hurt, it does relieve the anxiety of having to wait for a decision and it helps to clarify choices moving forward. A student may submit only one Early Decision application at a time. However, several institutions have ED I and Early Decision II (EDII) deadlines; the latter are designed to attract students not ready to apply in November and applicants who may have been rejected or deferred from another college earlier in the year. Early Decision candidates must be ready to apply to other colleges immediately in the event that they do not receive an acceptance of their ED application.
While it is tempting to see only the strategic bump suggested by Early Decision admission statistics, it is important that students recognize the choice they are making by applying ED. If admitted, students are bound to attend, so the BB&N College Counseling Office does not advocate submitting an Early Decision application unless the student is absolutely sure that the college is THE top choice. Every year we hear students say “I know I am applying early decision somewhere, I just don’t know where yet.” Using an early decision application ONLY as a strategic maneuver to get into a college earlier is fraught with potential difficulty. When students use ED only as a strategic maneuver, it can lead to matriculating at a school that students later might find is a bad fit and ultimately might lead to a transfer process that is stressful for all.
“Rolling” Admissions
Colleges that use rolling admission will review a candidate’s credentials shortly after they are received (usually not before the end of the first high school marking period of the senior year), and will notify the candidate of its decision within a few weeks. The student generally does not have to tell the college whether they will be attending until May 1. As a rule, the stronger the student, the earlier they may receive a letter of acceptance. Note that in these competitive times, many rolling admissions institutions become more selective as the year goes on. It may be best, therefore, to apply early in the year. Always check with your counselor about timing.
Myths About Early Decision
Myth #1: Students should apply early to a “reach” school because it is their best shot at admission. Fact: There are many factors to consider when making the decision to apply early and where the student applies early matters as much as simply applying early. Applying to a “possible” school (where a student’s chances in the regular pool are about 50%) usually offers the most advantage. With all the media attention focused on early admission, many colleges experienced increases in their early application numbers and subsequently have become more selective. Students should work closely with their counselor to determine the right plan for them.
Myth #2: Even if a student doesn’t have a clear first choice, they should still apply early.
Fact: If a student doesn’t have a clear first choice, they may consider applying to a rolling or non-binding program rather than a binding Early Decision program. Sometimes, there are “likely” or “possible” schools on a student’s list that offer rolling or early action programs and it may help ease the stress of the application process to get an offer of admission before April.
Myth #3: Students applying for financial aid should always apply early.
Fact: Students applying for financial aid may want to consider non-binding programs so that they will have the option to compare financial aid packages. But if a student has a clear first choice, financial aid should have no bearing on whether a student applies ED.
The Candidate’s Reply Date
The candidate’s reply date is the date by which a student must say either yes or no to a single college, and beyond which no extensions are possible. Most colleges have agreed on May 1 as the Candidate’s Reply Date unless the student has applied and been accepted under the Early Decision plan. It is a common occurrence for seniors to have several college options toward the end of March, and they then have the month of April to make a college choice. "Making up one’s mind” involves sending a substantial deposit--several hundred dollars--to the college one has decided to attend. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES may deposits ever be sent to more than one college! “Double-depositing” is unethical. We will only send one final transcript to a college at the end of the year. If a college learns that a student has double deposited, the student risks having their acceptance revoked.
The Waitlist Process
The wait list is a form of “insurance policy” used by many colleges as a hedge against the possibility of unfilled places in an entering class. There is no way to predict a student’s chances of admission from the wait list, as circumstances and conditions vary each year. Usually, wait lists are not ranked; rather, all waitlisted students are reevaluated shortly before and after May 1. The number of waitlist candidates offered acceptance depends upon the number of places still to be filled. Students should choose to remain on a college’s waitlist only if they are seriously interested in attending that institution. If they are accepted off of a waitlist, students are asked to submit a deposit and, at that point, the deposit at the other college is lost. If interest is not strong, students should remove their names to open up space for others on the waitlist who have a high interest in the institution.
Dealing with Denial and Managing Maybe
Please click here for a handout with tricks and tips for managing the moments when your child receives college results.
I'm Deferred -- Now What?
Please click here for information about what to do if you are deferred.