D24 just finished her first college interview (virtual) and says it went really well. I didn’t listen, but I could hear her voice happily chattering away, so she didn’t seem to be at a loss for words. I know having one done she’s feeling confident going forward. Yay for that.
Even if she won’t continue working on her essay…
Sounds like my son who has a lower SAT (1560), 4.0 (UW)
D24’s school opted for the computer ACT last spring.
She has taken a number of classes that used computerized testing, and found the interface easy enough to use. She preferred the pencil and paper tests for ease of study/doing practice tests.
She had only previously taken the pre-ACT at that point but her scores were better. I don’t think that was due to the format though, her score also improved the next time on a paper test.
So I just mean whether or not you have 0, 1, 2, or 10 EA applications typically isn’t going to change your outcomes materially.
Like, the first might (or might not) matter if it is REA, and then it will ONLY be one. But as far as I know, no one at our HS thinks it is somehow foolish to do an REA school, because we don’t think those other hypothetical regular EA applications you gave up to do an REA school would actually make it more likely you were admitted to those other schools.
There are a very few other cases like that, but otherwise even if you did no EA applications at all, it would not likely matter. So if you want to pick an REA or other special case, OK, or if not, also OK.
At a certain point, I think you have to tell them to go pound sand.
Like, it sounds like your school wants everyone to apply somewhere ED, and to treat even non-binding EA applications as if they were ED. But ED is not right for every kid or every family. And I do not care what your high school “wants”. If ED, or their forced version of ED, is not right for your kid and your family, I would not do it.
Really, this sums it up. They should refuse to be forced into an EA situation - especially if the school insists on treating it like ED. College admission is supposed to be about a student’s choices - not about what process makes the school look better. Talk about making a stressful time of life even more stressful!
I don’t think you have to find a school just for the sake of it being EA (plus so many EAs now come after the RD deadline anyway) but EA should always be used if available.
I will say this, my D did not EA anywhere and it was very hard and stressful to not have a single bird in hand until mid March.
I agree with that (and S24 is applying EA where it is available), but in this case the school is treating EA like it is ED and severely limiting the number of RD applications it allows. That doesn’t seem right to me. The rationale, as described earlier, seems as if it is all about the school (wants to maximize yield so the acceptances keep rolling in) and not about the student (who probably wouldn’t be stressing about picking an EA school if they didn’t feel like it was locking them in).
I truly cannot comprehend treating EA like ED. Every school that we have heard talk about it strongly encourages EA for non binding admission. Probably because they know EA is available in many places and they would rather get the app in then have someone plan to RD and not follow through. Thats why a lot of schools tie merit or honors program consideration to the EA deadline.
All of our EA schools historically give decisions in December though the school that strongly encourages is semi rolling with Jan 15vat the latest. Decisions usually start rolling out in late October.
I think that you are exaggerating when you say “treat even non-binding EA applications as if they were ED.” I am frustrated with their policy because it feels too limiting. At the same time, students there can and do apply to RD schools after being admitted to their EA and REA schools. The school just wants to limit the numbers of RD applications because they think limiting those numbers is better for the students in the long run. And yeah, I don’t like the expectation that everyone should apply someplace early. But at least no one at her BS is suggesting that if a student gets into a REA/SCEA school, the process must stop immediately while if it is an EA school, it can continue. Several people on this thread have suggested that a policy of stopping after an REA admission is defensible, but I think it is putting those schools on a pedestal that they don’t deserve.
Rather than second guessing her BS college advisors, I’d rather recognize that they have success getting students into the colleges of their choice with the aid that they need to make it work. If families are usually happy with their outcomes, who am I to second guess their process? So in some ways, I’d rather tell my D24 to pound sand. Just kidding. I don’t want her to pound sand, but I am a bit annoyed because I suspect that she won’t decide until Oct 30th where to apply on Nov 1. Wouldn’t it be easier to just follow the college office’s advice, and pick a reasonable EA #$%! college that we can afford in the next two weeks? Hopefully she’ll get in. If so, she can throw in a couple of RD apps, which will give her some choices on May 1. If not, she will have to apply to her whole list. Either way, hopefully D24 will make a better choice next May than her older sister did (who had four fantastic options and probably would have been happier at the three that she let go). In other words, just because I don’t like their boarding school’s process doesn’t mean that I don’t trust their process or the advisors.
As I wrote about D22 above, I started wondering why I didn’t have so much stress two years ago. Then it dawned on me: 1) I wasn’t reading CC so I wasn’t thinking about all the advice and wisdom here. This forum is helpful, but it is also a little stressful to read. 2) And even more importantly, D22 is pretty non-communicative. I ran the NPCs, but then she worked with her college advisor to decide what she wanted to do. She told me after the fact where she had applied early (as an aside during a call home to ask about something else). Normally, I have found my eldest’s style of communication (one text per week or two if I’m very lucky) incredibly frustrating. But in the case of college apps, I think being forced to be hands off worked far better than being brought into the process and worrying about it from a distance. I like that in general D24 wants my support and wants to communicate much more than her older sister, but there is a lot to be said for remaining hands off as a parent if you trust their guidance or college counselors.
What schools are those (that give EA decisions in December)? The EA schools on my child’s list (e.g., Villanova, U.Richmond, Tulane, Michigan, UT Austin) do not notify until January. We would love to have some earlier notifications. Thanks!
I don’t understand how they can do that when the EA results come after the ED deadline. Unless the schools are less selective but they can’t possibly be forcing that on the students as well.
Absolutely the last thing I want to do is make this more stressful! So 100%, navigate the process however makes the most sense for you and your kid.
Exactly. The current EA format only works for the colleges and does absolutely nothing for the student.
UChicago EA is in December but mostly they just use that as a venue to bully you into ED2. And less selective schools with rolling admissions like Pitt. Typical target/reach schools come out after the deadlines and kids are left having to apply to more schools.
TCU, Elon, University of Denver all give EA in December (they may or may not officially say January 15, but I have read the last few years of threads and they all seem to to ED the first week in December, and EA like a week later). Elon may be later in December, IIRC. Baylor is unofficially rolling, though they say January 15 is the latest.
We are chasing merit.
MIT EA decision is December,
but they defer about 63% of applicants to RD, so you don’t get the final slash until pi day.
Sure but the college counselors aren’t left paying the bill. As long as cost isn’t an issue, I know kids who have applied without any input or involvement from parents. That’s not ideal to me but it obviously works for some.
They limit (or push to limit) RD applications if you have been accepted to an EA school. If you have not heard back yet then you have to just apply to whatever schools are on your RD list and if you’ve decided to apply ED2, you’d go ahead with that option.
Case Western EA result will come out on Dec. 19th.
Better list below, so edited out.