You will receive a response from each of the schools to which you have applied by early to mid- April, and usually well before then. Of course, the response you want to see is an acceptance, the feared response is the denial. There is one other response which you might see: the Wait List response.  Here is an explanation of each of the responses you might receive.

ACCEPTANCE
Congratulations!  You're in.  If you have applied for financial aid, you will receive that information at the same time or shortly after you receive your letter of admission.  Unless you have applied under a binding, early decision plan, you have until May 1 to make up your mind about which college you will actually attend.  On May 1, you will have to have a deposit at the one college you will attend in the fall.  

DENIAL
The answer no one wants to receive.  Many wonder about appealing a denial, but unless you can show that something significant was overlooked, it is very unlikely that the college will change its mind.  If you have planned and applied appropriately, you will have other wonderful choices.  Don't fall in love with any one college.  Don't let your self-worth get caught up in whether or not a particular college accepted you.  Look ahead; be positive. 

DEFERRAL
If you have applied somewhere early, either early action or early decision, you might find that your application has been deferred.  This means that you were not strong enough to admit, nor weak enough to deny in the early round.  The admission office will await your mid-year grades and any other supplemental information you send in support of your application.  A decision will be made with the regular round of review, usually in early spring.

THE WAIT LIST
Many colleges accept a larger number of students than needed to fill their freshman classes. They know that most students apply to more than one school, and that most will be accepted by more than one. This means that every school will accept students who will turn down their offers of acceptance. Colleges and universities place extra qualified students on their wait lists and accept students from the list if there is space in the class after the May 1 response date. In many cases, you will not be notified of your acceptance off of the wait list until long after May 1, so you should proceed with notifying another school of your intention to enroll by May 1. If you are then taken off the wait list at the school you wish to attend, you would have to forfeit the deposit made to the first school. If you find yourself dangling on a wait list, it is always a good idea to ask yourself, "How much is attending this one college really worth to me?" If you find yourself placed on a wait list, check with your counselor for tips on pursuing your eventual admission.

Top of Page                                                                                        © 2000,2001    Frank W. Brightwell