What to Do When Early Action/Early Decision Doesn’t Work Out
It is that time of year again. In December many colleges release their early action (EA) and early decision (ED) notifications. Many students take advantage of the EA and ED process to apply to their first choice school. Often, these are “reach” schools for the student and, as a result, while some students will receive good news at this time of year, many others will receive disappointing news with some getting deferred and others getting rejected. Here are 5 tips for students and parents on what to do with early college decisions that don’t go as planned.
For Students
1. Keep Working on Other Applications If you are waiting to hear from a college or university that you applied to early, try to work on your other applications. Remember that at the highly selective colleges, the early admit rates are still often less than 15%, so it pays to continue working on your other applications while you wait for the first decision to come in. It is hard to write an enthusiastic supplemental essay about a school when you are broken-hearted that another one did not admit you.
2. How to Open Your Decision When and where you open your decision from a college is your choice. Many families like to film the student checking the school portal for their decision, but that is not the only way to do it. Think about it beforehand and tell your parents what will work best for you. Some students choose to open their decisions in the privacy of their room or with a friend, while others wait until the whole family is home. Make sure you will have emotional support around whether it is good or bad news.
3. Process the Result If you get deferred or rejected from your early application college, give yourself the time and space to be upset. It is disappointing, especially after putting in the effort in school and in completing the application. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself the space to process the news, whether that is binging Netflix, going for a walk, or playing with the family pet. Your homework and other responsibilities can wait for one night.
4. Make a Plan When you are ready, make your game plan for going forward. If you got deferred, there are things that you can do to update your application. First, if you have a college counselor at school, make an appointment to talk to them and see if they have any feedback from the college about why you were deferred and whether you will be seriously considered in the regular decision pool. If you still want to be considered by the college, write a “letter of continued interest” letting them know it is still your first choice. Update them with first semester grades, if you have them, and any significant activities and awards that you may have received since you submitted your early application.
5. Finish Your Applications Think about whether there is another school on your list that offers ED2 and whether you want to take advantage of that. After all of this, finish your other applications and submit them by the deadlines. Make sure that you discuss your meaningful activities and classes in your supplemental essays. You can reuse supplemental answers on different applications but always make sure that you have the correct college name if you use the essay in different applications.
For Parents
1. Be Supportive Be sensitive to your child’s needs when they find out the decision. If you are disappointed, try not to show that to your child. At the same time, do not be dismissive of their disappointment. Be supportive and give them the room to be upset. Your child has worked hard for this and it is normal for them to feel discouraged when their early school does not work out. Try not to hassle them about homework or other obligations for a few days while they process this result.
2. Help your child refocus their application strategy. Encourage them to discuss their strategy with their college counselor if they have access to one. If your child has been deferred from a highly selective college, be aware that you can NOT assume that they will be accepted in the next round during regular decision. Often highly selective colleges defer a much greater number of applicants than they will be able to accept in regular decision. As outlined in the student section, support your child in writing a “letter of continued interest” to their early college which includes any updates to their grades, achievements or any standardized tests they may have taken after the early deadline. However, after that letter is done, encourage them to complete their applications to other schools. If they have a well balanced college list, then they should be accepted to one or more colleges and will have somewhere to attend that they will enjoy and where they will be successful.
3. Help Your Child Make a Schedule With the holiday season, even during the pandemic, many families have traditions that they want to continue. Help your child by working with them to schedule time for them to complete their college applications and also schedule some downtime. Make sure that your child is aware of each specific school’s deadline. If your child is submitting test scores, make sure they know whether they need to order the reports or self-report. Make sure to order reports if necessary.
4. Encourage your Child to Tour Schools (Virtually) Because most schools are doing virtual tours and information sessions this year, make time to sit with your child and tour the other schools on their list. Encourage them to list what they like and don’t like about each school-they may just find a place they like better than where they applied early!
5. Complete Financial Aid Forms The FAFSA and CSS Profile require parental financial information. If your child is applying for financial aid or certain scholarships, they will need to submit one or both of these forms. Make sure you get these done.
If you would like to schedule a consultation for an application review after the early decision, please click here.
