<p>Gosh, what a nice batch of people on the UD site!!! Sooooo supportive. I feel (if you haven’t read my opinion on these later-than-usual EA schools) I feel that it’s a real disadvantage for the school. I know ten years ago, hearing in March was early…my son applied to 14 schools, he’s in 10…and all but UD and Syracuse (his only RD) he’ll know by month’s end. He’s had a few months of bumper stickers, and welcoming emails, and even phone calls from students “selling him” to their school…(he’s actually a very average student). I don’t know what UD is thinking with no ED or EA or rolling…and quite frankly PSU is breathing up their butt making a name with their rolling, albeit flawed, Early Action.</p>
<p>This is a very old article but it does shed some light on why schools are getting rid of ED and EA Admissions.</p>
<p>[News:</a> The Harvard Effect - Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/13/harvard]News:”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/13/harvard)</p>
<p>Getting rid of? My S applied to 14 schools and only 1 (UD) doesn’t offer a rolling/EA/ED option. I wasn’t surprised when Miami Ohio moved their “EA” from February (published the whole application season as the notification date) to December. Do you think there’s a trend away from it? I think it’s gaining popularity and schools like Michigan use it to cherry pick the kids also applying binding ED to even more competitive schools. It does seem like a crazy amount of pressure for campus admissions though. They have twice the applications and half the time to sort through them all!</p>
<p>As I said, the article is quite old so maybe the thought of moving in this direction didn’t stick although UDel is mentioned in the article and they have not changed the process since 2006 so it must work for them. Personally I like the rolling admission process. If you apply early you hear early. Unfortunately this part of the process we don’t “own” and we are at the mercy of the Admissions Depts. Frustrating but in a mere 7 weeks this will be all over and we can all think about something else.</p>
<p>I feel for all of you! We went through this last year! UD was the second to last school my DD heard from (and where she really wanted to attend). Decisions were available online on March 20. I am happy to report that she is currently an extremely happy Blue Hen!</p>
<p>Once you see what the acceptance package looks like (the piece you get in the mail), you will see - in part - why it takes so long. However, my DD would have been happy to skip the nice mailing and find out earlier.</p>
<p>We are thrilled with UD and, once you are accepted, will be glad to answer any questions you have for us parents of current freshmen!</p>
<p>It occured to me that the “official notification” may be, in fact, the request for mid-year grades. UD FAQs say that they request them for all students (whether that’s actually true or not), and other than a software glitch it’s the only thing that seems universal to all applicants, as we seem to have both matches and reaches in the group (my son being the later). And, if something is actually in the mail, someone should already get it with today’s mail. Unless, of course, you’re in New Jersey where it’s snowing like crazy. Again. But all this shoveling does take your mind off things :)</p>
<p>The acceptance package that comes in the mail is gorgeous, but I was very fond of the online video! My D would let me sit and watch it from time to time. It was sad when it disappeared to make room for the new admittees!</p>
<p>We couuldn’t be happier at UD and would be delighted to answer any questions you might have as well. We were a little worried that such a big school would seem impersonal, but we’ve found a very personal touch from every department so far.</p>
<p>here’s a question, did the kids who HEARD from Delaware (in in-state kids…both of them :)) get this message? On my Son’s page it listed under the “things received” ie: essay, rec, tests-at the end. ANDDDDD it’s mentioned again in the Blue box on the lower right corner under APPLICATION: The last line says “Official Decision via mail” so it’s not a matter of mid-year grades which the more ambiguous “official notification via mail” that might infer a request for more info. Now since all kids are contacted eventually “via mail” maybe it’s just to keep up on the edge of our seats when everyone hears from PSU and Maryland this week! And finally…I believe the final notification will come from the direction of the GRASSY KNOLL.</p>
<p>imani- hello again we met on the PSU board. Was surprised that you consider that U Del is a “reach” compared to PSU? Is that based on Naviance data? I am quite curious to know as my younger D who is a junior may apply to U Del and I had thought it was easier to get in U Del than PSU. Not many kids have applied to U Del from our school in the past, but I had the sense from talking to people that U Del was less competitive to get into than PSU main campus. It would be really ironic if U Del was harder to get into than PSU as PSU is rated #47 and U Del is rated #75 in USNWR.</p>
<p>The rankings are meaningless. Also, it’s hard to really assess PSU since they push so hard to have kids go to satellite campuses and then come to University Park in later years. It’s almost impossible to know who actually gets in as a freshman because they don’t like that information to be clear.</p>
<p>I have received official notification from the Admissions Office that the status change means nothing more than a notification reminder that your decision will come via US Mail, in March, and not online.</p>
<p>Everyone can relax now, hold their breath and wait until March.</p>
<p>OMG what poor choice of wording, like the kids (and parents) don’t have enough to stress over…</p>
<p>oh and DogsR - thanks very much for letting everyone know</p>
<p>“OMG what poor choice of wording, like the kids (and parents) don’t have enough to stress over…”</p>
<p>I honestly wonder how many families who are not CC regulars would stress over something like this. I just interpreted it as meaning that they send decisions via e-mail.</p>
<p>I totally agree on the poor choice of wording. Having seen this type of “misunderstanding” with another school as well, I have come to the conclusion that these schools really don’t understand their “customers.” They should know that stress is high right now and ensure that they dot their “i’s” and cross their “t’s” to be sure that mass hysteria doesn’t set in. The schools have so many tools for communication one would think that they would explain themselves clearly. How would anyone know what that meant on the My Blue Hen site without an explanation?? It is unfortunate and unfair to the kids going thru this process that unnecessary stress has to be an added weight. It is certainly not a perfect process all around.</p>
<p>With that being said, these forums are great and everyone is so supportive!!</p>
<p>Last year the decisions themselves came by snail mail, but as zoosermom said upthread, students could tell if they got in a few days beforehand if they could log on to the admitted students’ site. I wonder if that will still be the case this year? At any rate, the acceptance package is terrific - it makes a large school seem very personal, which is one of the things S loves about UD.</p>
<p>UDel is my daughter’s top choice so we are hopeful that she gets to see that awesome acceptance packet ;)</p>
<p>I recently called UDEL admissions, and they told me that the status change simply meant that when our decisions come in mid-March, they would be sent in physical letters, not emails. Sorry to disappoint, I was hoping I would hear soon too.</p>
<p>At S’s well-regarded suburban PA high school, PSU main campus is considered slightly more difficult to get into than UD. I get the impression that PSU admissions is more stats-driven (they have that chart of admission possibilities based on GPA/scores), while UD looks at kids more holistically. But of course this is only anecdotal, based on where my son and his friends got in.</p>
<p>Delaware and Maryland are considered harder to get into then PSU in my OOS school.Delaware slightly harder than Univeristy Park and UM harder then Delaware. Maybe its harder 2 get into from inside PA?</p>