<p>Does anyone out there besides me think that April 1 is a long time to wait and late in the year for notification? I know most schools do this but when you are going through the process and realize that if you apply rd you have no real time to pick a school when 4/1 gets here. They really should rethink waiting so late in the year at all schools. With tech so amazing these days and everyone on the computer, why in the world does it all take so long!!!</p>
<p>The reason it takes so long is because people, not computers, make the decision on why you get accepted. Holistic reviews aren't just crunch and decide, they're read and consider. All 11,000+ applications are read, which isn't a quick and easy process. I know waiting sucks, but just think of it as a test of your character ;)</p>
<p>PS - From April 1st, notification, to May 1st, decision time, seems like a short time, but it really isn't. I had an inkling of where I'd be going in the first few days and made the decision in less than a week. You can only think about it so much - definitely not a month's worth of rumination.</p>
<p>Slipstream is right--the admissions committee has an overwhelming task. Ideally you should have visited all the schools before application time and have narrowed the list or at least have some order of preference in mind way before April. I don't recommend that kids wait until April to see where they get in and then try to visit the various schools. My son visited Vandy twice--once after freshman year and once in March of his senior year--before the decisions arrived. He didn't recall much from his first visit, so I can almost guarantee that if he hadn't revisited in March (and found Vandy to be so wonderful), he would have had a very tough time deciding where to go and probably wouldn't be at Vanderbilt right now.</p>
<p>you answers are fine if you don't consider $$$$. Being accepted into lesser expensive, good schools starts to make you think. Even if Vandie is your dream, you can spend 45,000 on a lot of things. And when you have GT Tech or W&M or UNC as part of the picture, you are wondering about coming up with 25000 vs 45000 and it starts to get very stressful.</p>
<p>^^^i actually had to make that decision between duke and vandy (but more like 45,000 and less than 20,000), and it took all of about 10 minutes ;)</p>
<p>Same with my son. The scholarship money was a significant factor in his decision to attend Vandy over Duke. But, as I said before, if he hadn't visited Vanderbilt (and liked it) before his acceptance came in, he probably would have ended up at Duke. The point is to do your research and visiting in advance, and keep your options and your mind open to whatever arrives in the mail in April. :)</p>