I have definitely found for my son that the different ways schools release their decisions has impacted his overall feeling about the school in general. Anyone else have found that to be the case?
For example, some non-rolling admission schools are releasing EA decisions in waves leaving kids to wonder why they haven’t been accepted and create unnecessary worry and concern are quickly dropping on his list compared to those who drop it all at once or who are, at least, up front about being rolling admission schools.
His takeaway has been I guess they aren’t as interested in me so why should I be interested in them? I’m just wondering if anyone else is feeling this way? I completely see his point.
@evergreen5 I totally get this feeling with the finals. Two years ago our school changed finals to be just before Winter Break instead of having a true semester and end in January like they always had. We then wound up with a shorter first semester because of it with no breaks since it was already going to be shorter. That finals week was also the week of college ED decisions. Talk about brutal. My daughter’s ED decision was on the Monday of that week and I am so thankful she got in but if she didn’t, it would’ve definitely thrown her off. Other schools were Friday of that week. Such terrible timing for those kids. This go around, my son hears on the Thursday of his finals. However, since our school is completely remote, they’ve left it to the teachers to decide if they are having finals and in what format. I think he has them, but he doesn’t stress much to begin with and fortunately has only one/day and some may be more like just a large quiz but still crap timing. I’m sure he’s anxious even though he never outwardly shows it. Right now he seems more interested in beating my husband in their fantasy football playoffs!
@skkymom Tell your son not to let this get to him. This is very common among some colleges. Sometimes it has to do with when the college receives all your documents from your school and when your file is complete and sometimes decisions are released by in state first, and/or by certain colleges within the school. So he just has to hang in there.
@skkm0906 So true! The way many kids (and us) form impressions of different schools is fairly unscientific in my experience. I’m not saying they aren’t valid, but all kinds of little details create impressions. I’m a college professor, and when I ask students why they chose their school a lot of them say that they toured and just felt at home on the campus. It had nothing to do with programs, etc., just the feel of the campus! It’s amazing how important the tours, admissions process, website, etc. are in terms of giving a student a feel about a college. Lately I’ve seen discussions of ‘swag’ sent with admissions decisions and how that makes a student feel wanted. Right or wrong, superficial or somewhat trivial things can make a difference.
Ugh, the emotional connection to this is too much for me. I’m fourth generation (my great-grandfather graduated from UVA in 1910, then some of his kids, some of their kids and finally a cousin of mine and I), and we have a fifth generation there in that D21’s cousin is there.
I really like that UVA tells you their release date and even one of their admissions peeps (“Dean J”) is answering some questions and releasing app stats on CC.
D21 has a final next week and a paper due. I told her to get those out of the way before she checks portals for admissions decisions. Either way - reject or acceptance - the decision will affect her mood and her ability to focus on her finals/paper. I told her to put all that out of her mind and then check portals when her final and paper are completely over.
(Her final will be posted online Monday but she can take it any time next week, and that paper for another class is due next week - these are two college classes for dual credit…she does not have midterms in her other classes).
@rbc2018 It makes a difference! I work for a major Fortune 500 company and we had all virtual internships this year. We tried so hard to simulate real work settings (even though virtual) so that we could give them a real sense of the culture. That to me is just as important as the program. I think most colleges have amazing programs as a start. Anyway, those impressions are so important to kids. Their value benchmark is relevant to them. The swag really helps, too!! :).
Now, growing up poor, I was just happy to get into the UW, our state school. It just happened that the campus is beautiful and the programs are top class and I ended up getting amazing internships and a job with a company I still work for now. But I def didn’t tour the UW despite being from Seattle!
Good luck to those waiting for decisions this week! And, hold on to your seats!
I knew there would be happy excitement but I thought things might get back to…you know, sort of normal (whatever that means in the middle of a pandemic). But NO!!! My D’s social media accounts have exploded into action: A zillion new followers, Obsessive chatter among new admits about roommates, dorms, etc. Of course, it’s fun for her, but a little overwhelming! If she puts down her phone for 30 seconds whole conversations have moved on. Someone has already organized a spreadsheet of personality profiles and a zoom meet and greet for tomorrow to check out new roommate possibilities, My D is like…well what about all the ED 2 and RD kids? It has only been 48 hours, lol
I have no regrets about ED but I can see now that early senioritis is a real hazard of it…the whole idea of high school will soon be so yesterday! I might feel sad about that in normal times…I .want her to embrace every possibility of the present moment…but with almost all ECs and real-life socializing nonexistent anyway it’s a real mood booster for her that the “next big thing” is already here.
@inthegarden WOW! A personality profile spreadsheet?! Boy, I am old. . It must be fun and exciting for your D, and maybe a little overwhelming!
D21 is planning to apply RD depending what happened in the next couple of weeks.
Same! I applied RD to three schools and didn’t find out until April 3rd of my senior year, through receipt of the proverbial fat envelope in my mailbox, that I had gotten into my top choice.
I remember getting randomly matched with a roommate and writing letters to each other.
I can’t imagine collaborating with your future classmates merely days after getting accepted.
Yes it is! I told her I thought the choosing of roommates so soon seems a little desperate! I can see maybe doing so gradually over the next few weeks and months, but golly…lots of room for drama, regrets and hurt feelings if people choose prematurely and want to get out of it.
@Solstice155, Or for anyone with kids thinking of ED2 or RD to W&M… FYI, my D says that tons of kids on Instagram are saying that they got in test-optional. so, that part is real. Also, for the W&M optional essay, she wrote something very lighthearted and casual. W&M stresses that the optional essay is completely open-ended about anything that would give the AO’s a sense of a side (or sides) to your personality they might otherwise have not known. Doesn’t have to be profound. W&M seems to be emphasizing lately the idea that W&M students are fun, with diverse interests. so, she ran with that, with my encouragement, since her CA essay was more serious. Mostly wrote a stream- of-conscience mosaic of fun factoids about herself. Still, I worried a bit whether that was the right decision. Obviously, it didn’t hurt at all!
It’s a much bigger thing for girls than boys to see if they’re a match. I remember my daughters two years ago and it was so strange but in the end they both wound up with great roommates and considering some of the stories I heard about roommates in other groups I’m in, I’m really happy it worked out.
S19 at Bowdoin had a very very long question/answer application to match up roommates. He took a lot of time doing it. It involved multiple mini essays. Lol. They weren’t allowed to find roommates on their own.
. It must be fun and exciting for your D, and maybe a little overwhelming!