<p>I'm writing this on behalf of my friend who is not a member of CC. She just found out today that she was accepted at her dream school ED, Hamilton. Well, sort of. You see, the letter said that she was accepted, but that she would begin in January of 2006 along with 25 other students. They suggested that she use the time off in the fall to travel, intern, work, etc, and that she would have a full orientation come January. It also mentioned that most of the 25 "late starters" graduate with their class each year.</p>
<p>She loves Hamilton with all her heart and let them know this through her essays (which she worked on for months!), interviews, overnights, etc. However, her stats (SAT's and grades) were below average, so Hamilton was a reach for her. She told me it seemed like they accepted her only because they could tell how much she loved the school, not because she was entirely qualified. She also thought that they would have deferred her if she was qualified, but they knew she couldn't hold a candle against the RD applicants.</p>
<p>What should she do now? She's calling the admissions office tomorrow and wants to drive up there to interview with the Dean of Admissions. She's also sending extra recs, grades, and a letter expressing how much she loves Hamilton, but how she really needs to start in the fall, not in January. </p>
<p>BTW- the letter said that although ED is binding, she is allowed to turn down their offer because it is unique. Therefore, she's already started filling out other apps although Hamilton is her clear first choice.</p>
<p>Any advice? I don't know what to say to her. She was really upset because it didn't seem like a real acceptance. Thanks for any help!</p>
<p>I'm not positive, but I think her SAT's were around a 1260 and her GPA was about a 93/100 weighted (which puts her around 60/400 in terms of class rank)</p>
<p>She had lots of extracurriculars and a lot of passion that came through. Also great letters of rec.</p>
<p>It is very possible that Hamilton has a housing crunch and is hoping that some students will go away for semester abroad, thus freeing dorm space for the 25 or so students it is admitting in January. It is not clear on what basis they chose those students. She should not assume a priori that she was admitted for spring semester because of her lower profile. She should call and find out why, and if she really needs to attend next fall rather than next winter, she should see if that is possible. But again, she should not assume it has to do with her qualifications or lack thereof.
By the way, lots of students would love to have the assurance of being admitted as well as an extra semester to do something different before college!</p>
<p>For a very different reason, one high school senior in a book about the admissions process called The Gatekeepers was accepted to a college with the same proviso--that she would begin in January rather than August. She accepted the offer, and found something wonderful to do in the Fall semester, something that led her to her particular major and, presumably, her life's work. I would recommend that your friend find something to do in the fall that she loves, and then start attending her dream school in January. Since Hamilton is providing a full orientation in January, it sounds to me like it's interested in making sure that the beginning of school, albeit at a non-traditional time, is as traditional and fulfilling a beginning as possible. I understand why she's having a hard time dealing with this, but maybe you could get her to realize that her dream has come true, and that she just has a little time before it begins to investigate some other dreams.</p>
<p>Sara306- Yes, she did. I feel so bad for her, because she's one of those kids that takes the AP classes even though she usually has one of the lowest (if not the lowest) grade in the class. This girl pushes herself sooooo hard for the love of learning, and she's had so many "complications" like this in her life that it just seems unfair. (BTW- she will have 6 AP's upon graduation, which is almost the max one can take at my school)</p>
<p>First of all if Hamilton did not feel that your friend could hold her own there they would have deferred or rejected her no matter how much she loved the school and tried to convey this passion to them. If you read some of the other threads, they are filled with people who had years of great love for a particular school only to have been rejected/deferred in the ED round.<br>
I'm with Marite, there could be reasons that have nothing to do with her. Daughter told me the other night that Dartmouth's class of 2005, over 1400 people accepted admission (class size is usually 1075). Because they knew that it was going to be a housing crunch, they gave students a year of free room and board if they deferred an became part of the class of 2006.</p>
<p>Your friend can use the opportunity to look int geting an intternship in what she hopes to major in. If she is antsy about being out of school for a semester, she could even ask about the possibly of taking credits someplace else in the interim.</p>
<p>Apparently your frien is very special and Hamilton saw that and thought that she would be an asset to their community. Please congratulate her for us and she should be proud of what she has done. There is nothing wrong with working hard for the love of learning. She needs to get that type of trash thinking (that maybe she really wasn't qualified) out of her head, because she got into Hamilton and will probably do beautifully there because she really wants to be there.</p>
<p>All the best to her and to you for being such a great friend to her.</p>
<p>Your friend should look at this as a great opportunity. Being able to work through the fall semester could give her the edge in getting a job in May, or get her an internship that would usually go to an upperclassman. She should definitely look into the opportunities in her field and ask around. </p>
<p>She could also do a semester abroad, perhaps not through the college, but at a language or art school. The possibilities are tempting, and her deferred start is an advantage in many ways.</p>
<p>I've heard of this for regular decision, but I must admit that is a very strange binding ED acceptance! I mean, is she going to be held to a commitment to enroll or is she free to play the field?</p>
<p>Other than that, I don't think that Hamilton's offer is necessarily bad. Assuming she is free to play the field, at least it's a good, solid bird in the hand! I would have to do some serious brainstorming to decide what to do with that acceptance offer.</p>
<p>Carolyn: Frankly, I'm a little stunned by that ED acceptance. I have very mixed emotions on this.</p>
<p>On the one hand, I think that it may be a very good deal for the applicant, so I do not want her to interpret my other sentiments as being negative towards the possibility of accepting the offered deal. I don't think the delayed enrollment is a bad thing at all. In fact, I think a lot of high school kids could benefit from it.</p>
<p>From a college "gaming" standpoint, if Hamilton is holding the girl to an ED commitment or impossing an immediate deadline for committing that precludes playing the field, I would have a very low opinion of what the college is doing. In effect, it is early decision "bait and switch". What really bothers me is that it is "bait and switch" that preys upon a group of students expressing the strongest possible commitment to the college. I find it very cold, very calculating, especially because it is a tacit acknowlegement by the Hamilton admissions office that they know 25 freshmen will drop out after the first semester, leaving them with empty beds. Most colleges deal with dropouts through a normal transfer application process.</p>
<p>I know that some people probably object to my characterization of colleges admissions as a car dealer/customer transaction. But, I think this kind of ED acceptance makes my case quite well.</p>
<p>I was honest when I said there would be a lot of soul-searching in my house had my daughter received this kind of ED acceptance from Swarthmore. My knee-jerk response would be, "fine...you want to delay enrollment by six months, we'll delay our decision and deposit check by six months..." </p>
<p>Another possible response would be to call their bet and raise the ante: "Thank you. We look forward to Hamilton and we agree that taking some time off for a valuable life experience before college is a great idea. In fact, it's such a great idea that a full year would be even better. Therefore, we are enclosing a check to confirm enrollment in the fall of 2006."</p>
<p>But, as I say, for a particular student, it may be a great opportunity. Definitely one of those deals you would have to sleep on it for a few days.</p>
<p>"BTW- the letter said that although ED is binding, she is allowed to turn down their offer because it is unique. Therefore, she's already started filling out other apps although Hamilton is her clear first choice."</p>
<p>That's what the OP posted, so Hamilton will allow her to apply elsewhere.</p>
<p>I agree with those of you who think a little time off could be great. But the OP doesn't really say why her friend feels she must start in Sept., or did I miss that?</p>
<p>If Hamilton is her clear #1 choice, she should go. It wouldn't make since to turn it down if it really is her dream school. This one thing should not be something that blocks her from getting a degree from her top choice school. So what if it was her love for the school that got her in. (Not saying it was that, but so what if it was!) So what if she has to wait a few months. She is in at her dream school! So many people are not able to say that!</p>
<p>Does anyone else think it is important to start college life at the same time as your peers? During those first few weeks in the dorms students are much more open to making friends because they are all new and thrown together. Does a student starting in January risk being a little left out for the entire 4 years or do you get over that? Just asking the question. It's one thing if you are looking for the opportunity to start in January. Quite another if they ask you to start late.</p>
<p>Ah, but the devil is in the details. If, for example, she only has until December 31 to inform Hamilton of her decision, she is effectively precluded from exploring other options.</p>
<p>This is a weird twist and must be very frustrating to your friend. To get what you want, BUT with strings attached! The idea of doing 4 years of college in 3-1/2 also puts an unfair pressure on a student who is already not at the top of the pile, plus who wants to come in in the middle of the film? I think the whole thing smells selfish and insensitive on the school's part. (And I LIKE Hamilton.)</p>
<p>I think the key point is the date by which Hamilton expects her confirmation. If they will hold the offer open until April when she knows what her other choices are, then she has nothing to lose. At that point, when she can weigh her options (i.e. Hamilton in December vs College A,B, or C in December) she'll know better how badly she wants Hamilton. If she can't talk them into accepting her for September, then she should try to get them to wait until April for her late-early-decision-decision.</p>
<p>UC Berkeley has accepted kids from my D's high school to start the second semester instead of the first. And the kids were glad to accept! Berkeley suggested that they might want to take classes at the community college that semester off and have units that would transfer over to the university. Maybe your friend can scope out what cc classes would transfer so that she can start at Hamilton with some hours under her belt.</p>
<p>Also, I read the story of one college that had these spring starters. The 25 kids really bonded, since they come in as a group. </p>
<p>I'm guessing that the admissions committee was split in their appraisal of her app. One faction probably said that her SAT and GPA were too low. The other faction pushed hard and probably said that she took hard classes and look at her drive and energy--this girl will really add to our community. The compromise was to let her in, but at the spring. </p>
<p>I hope that she accepts Hamilton's offer and prove her supporters right about her.In 5-10 years, no one will remember she started in the spring.</p>
<p>I think that if Hamilton were demanding a response before the normal deadline in May, I would be inclined to send the depost, but with one stipulation: that they provide an official written release from any binding Early Decision commitment.</p>
<p>At that point, my investment to preserve the opportunity of January 2006 enrollment would be a $250 check, rather than a legally binding agreement not to apply to other colleges -- if you get my drift.</p>
<p>Frankly, if Hamilton is not extending the decision deadline on their bait 'n switch ED acceptance 'til May, I would have no hesitation in aggressively protecting MY interests, even if it comes at the expense of "fairness" to a college that is aggressively protecting THEIR interests.</p>
<p>NJres--good point. It may take more effort to get to know the other kids and feel a part of the freshman class starting in Jan.-- Not as much of problem if she is part of a drama group, choir or swim team or something like that. It is probable that the group of 25 will bond, as ellemenope suggests, but with small groups, you never know, each small group has its own chemistry. </p>
<p>Also, I agree with Intersteddad-- the college should give her time to mull this over--I hope they do.</p>