<p>Other than EA, ED and rolling applications, do any schools make it easy on some of their applicants and notify them early (before that April drop-dead date) of the school's decision? I can see why they don't, and yet I'd like hear that some do.</p>
<p>In 2008, daughter’s RD decisions started coming in March…but there were definitely hold-outs until the first week in April…</p>
<p>bigger problem was her decision…April 30th at night…ugh</p>
<p>March, eh? I was hoping for January, lol. If I’m impatient I can only wonder how my daughter will do. But then as you say, comes the next huge decision. I actually know a couple kids who applied to “instant admission” schools. Oh how I envy their parents.</p>
<p>^^sorry…January ain’t happenin for RD…</p>
<p>on a funnier note, my younger daughter saw my older one go through this whole process three years ago and swore she was going to be done by Christmas break…and she is!!</p>
<p>One of the only times in her life that going against what her older sister did paid off…</p>
<p>A few colleges send letters to a small percentage of their applicants saying they are “likely” to be admitted. These go out before the regular decisions. They may go to athletes and the very top applicants.</p>
<p>Huh. DS#1 started hearing late January. All RD applications but also almost all LACs.</p>
<p>Some schools will notify early in case the student is being considered for a scholarship e.g. USC will notify candidates being considered for the trustee and presidential scholarships in February so that can interview for these scholarships. Some schools will provide likely letters as state by charlieschm.</p>
<p>These types of early notification are usually to top candidates, sometimes to URM who they want to court, to athletes and people with hooks. Hence it is pretty limited. Most students will hear on RD announcement day.</p>
<p>My son applied only RD, on Jan. 1. He was admitted to one school’s honor program in mid-February, which made waiting for the other decisions much easier! You only need one place to go . . .</p>
<p>S found out in February at a neighboring state flagship. D got a likely letters (not official statements), and 3 early writes but those were a month early. I doubt you’ll hear in January.</p>
<p>^^^ schools with rolling applications could inform much earlier. S’s flagship had told him by December. A lot depends on the school and your profile. If your stats put you in the top 5 or 10%, you may hear earlier, but not all.</p>
<p>The likely letters that go out are mostly for URM kids and athletes. The purpose is to entice these kids to consider going there, but in truth, they may get many offers.</p>
<p>Did your son/daughter apply rolling anywhere? Once my son got into his state flagship, he (and we) relaxed.</p>
<p>Mr D received an RD acceptance letter in late February several years ago from an LAC–it was essentially an early admit accompanied by a merit grant–a nice surprise. I now know that a number of LACs (including some that do not give any merit money) do send early admit letters to applicants they really want.</p>
<p>It’s terrible when the parent is more impatient than the kid (that sound you hear is propellers going ‘wop wop wop’). We are far from URMs or athletes in this family, and no rolling admissions. I’m not sure I approve of ‘likely’ letters…can that fall through? It just seems so weird that for almost all of us, the kids will find out from every school they applied to (eight!) at the exact same time. Question – who will be camped out by the mailbox/computer on April 1 – my daughter or myself?</p>
<p>mazewanderer- The state flagship did not have rolling admissions. They just let a small subset of applicants know a couple of months early.</p>