<p>When do you think we will start getting letters? I applied in November and still have not heard back yet, just wondering if anyone knows. =)</p>
<p>According to the “Chat” for Parents, students will receive notice from American between March 15-April 1. The admissions guy made it seem like they would be staggering the letters, not all mailed on the same day. It seemed like he was indicating that with an enlarged applicant pool this year, they were going to “hedge their bets” a bit. </p>
<p>I took this to MAYBE mean that they would be sending out the “Definate-YES!” pile early, and probably the “Definate-NO!” pile as well, and then get a sense of the yeild while they send out the “Middle-yes”, “Maybe-Yes”, and the “Waitlist” later. (in other words, a list of students is probably on the middle line that will get accepted/rejected april 1, based on what % commitment they see from the earlier results). This is a guess to the motive however.</p>
<p>Short answer: March 15-April 1.</p>
<p>Sorry but i didnt get that feeling at all. i got the feeling that they send out the letters as close to the middle of march as they can, sometimes in groups so not all on the same day, but they say by April 1 to give themselves the room to get it all done and for mail errors etc. Sp possibly over a week, and then give it time to reach everyone. But those chats were hectic so I gues a lot is open to interpretation :)</p>
<p>I also went back and looked at last years threads, and it seems as though people also got emails.</p>
<p>Dont be Sorry at all Expat! You are right it was hectic, and what gave me that impression was that the admissions guy was not answering “March 15, or that week”, but kept saying “between March 15 and April 1”.</p>
<p>Oh well, I will know when I see the torn envelope (I am a parent!)</p>
<p>“dadwonders” comments don’t make sense since ALL acceptances have til May 1st to make a decision.</p>
<p>CJ-Not following you.
What does the date acceptance letters have to do with the May 1 Decision date?</p>
<p>Acceptance-March15-April1
Decisions (deposits) due-May 1.</p>
<p>CJ’s point is that even two weeks after sending out what you call the “Definite-YES!” letters, the school may still have no handle on yield, since there is no certainty that those who respond within that period are a representative sample of the total number who will accept by May 1. But if stats from prior years tell them the first rush of responses is indeed reflective of final yield, the process dadwonders suggests could work–if yield looks like it’s going to be high based on the first wave of acceptance letters, cut back on the second wave, and vice versa. But I have no clue if this is what they’re planning this year.</p>
<p>I just checked D’s acceptance letter from last year and was surprised to see it’s dated March 8–but I don’t think it actually arrived that early. That whole period is a blur!</p>
<p>Thanks Momma J. I get it now.</p>
<p>I would think that students will not wait until May 1 to say “I am not coming” by not sending in a deposit (?). I just assumed that my D would be sending notes or emails to admissions and interviewers once she has made her final decision…Maybe her decision not to go to College A, B or C will open up a spot on the wait list for a student that is dying to get in there.</p>
<p>Since this is my first, is it common to wait until May 1, and not send a check, or is it common to let admissions know you will not attend once you have made that decision?</p>
<p>In my D’s case, she waited till the last minute to decide among schools–it was pretty clear to me from the start which she would choose, but she is indecisive by nature and also waited until after she had attended the accepted students events at two “finalists” to be sure she was factoring in everything. (The fact that colleges have those events shows they don’t expect immediate responses.) I think the only downside to waiting is losing priority in housing choices. As far as waitlists are concerned, I don’t think spots are considered available for waitlisted students until after May 1.</p>
<p>I think it’s pretty common to just let May 1 go by without accepting rather than giving a definitive no to a college–although some schools provide a postcard or email process for turning down offers.</p>
<p>Our D got an email on 3/12/08 saying that good news was on the way from AU. She sent cards or emails to the schools she was not choosing as soon as she made her final decision which I think was early April, even though a few of the schools seemed to not understand because they kept sending her stuff for months.
Ellen</p>
<p>My son also received an email on March 12, 2008 that was “Clawed” the animated eagle mascot saying that good news was coming in the mail! He loves AU and now we are waiting to see if my daughter will also be accepted. I asked in the chat if they would be sending out emails and no one specifically responded so I don’t know if they still do that or not.</p>
<p>I bet the majority of students who are “waiting” for the RD apps have more than one college out there. So I bet they will wait for all their letters and FA packages to arrive “before” sending in any acceptance deposits - since the deadline is May 1st.</p>
<p>This is the benefit of a RD app - you have the luxury of waiting til all acceptances are in and be able to compare FA awards as well and potentailly “negotiate” offers.</p>
<p>I know of NO college that uses a “Yield Formula” that would factor acceptances for RD students until after May 1st. Too hard and too many variables. Although “Yield Formuals” for colleges are “secret” and different for each college and each year.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to AU and has not yet had a response. What is this parents chat you referred to? How would we have learned of it?</p>
<p>^ If your daughter has applied and gone to this page [Admissions</a> and Financial Aid | American University, Washington, DC](<a href=“http://www.american.edu/admissions/]Admissions”>Undergraduate Admissions | American University, Washington, DC) clicked on prospective student and done a prospective student profile, i believe thats where they get the info to communicate with you about upcoming open chats. There have been a couple, although I am not sure if there are any more. You could probably write to admissions and ask.</p>