I’m reading so many angsty posts around college notifications. Which was the worst school for your child?
For mine, it was U. of Michigan. Deferred from EA and then constant checking ever few weeks as decisions slowly trickled out. She didn’t get a decision until the very last possible day in April.
Lots of folks are upset with schools that give a “no later than date” instead of a set date but D just assumed she wouldn’t hear early. Those that did release early were pleasant surprises, not a reason to be upset with the schools.
I have to agree with you on this one. This seems to be an ongoing issue, since I applied 5 years ago, and it was still the case. Michigan gets far too many EA applications to process before decision time and as a result, IMO, defers a large chuck simply because they have not had time to really review.
Penn State and UMD seem to be big culprits of the IME
Haverford and Georgetown with their insistence on mailing acceptances, if that’s still the case. Then everyone online is guessing based on postage notifications. I realize they are trying to preserve that old-time feel of opening a letter, but finding out you got in (or didn’t) through the amount of postage really takes away from that.
USC (CA) with their acceptance mailed in a ridiculous colored box, if I remember correctly. Dumb. And then rejections later by email, since most kids don’t get the mailed box.
Of course, UMich has NOT been reviewing all their applications for the last 5 years, at least? I don’t buy this theory.
But, yes, the multiple releases of deferred/RD and RD decisions (2/1, 3/1, 4/1 and mid-April) is a bit too much. Just have one deadline and announce 1 or 2 decision dates. One in December and then one in March with all the other public schools like the UC’s.
Ohio State. No set dates for acceptances, scholarships or honors. In 2018, 11/1 early action deadline and 11/1 deadline for all school of engineering applications. Son accepted first wave 11/18, but many others heard back months later. Why have early action if you don’t hear anything for 3-4 months?
Son didn’t receive OSU scholarship until late February, and by then he chose Purdue (with well communicated firm notification dates). Now daughter wants to attend OSU. Dreading the process.
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For my D19 it was Temple. She applied rolling in August and still hadn’t heard by early December, so she contacted them and they told her they don’t even look at rolling until after EA decisions. What’s the point of rolling then?
For D20 it was Point Park. They rejected her for dance. Three times- they somehow accidentally sent the letter three times. Ha.
“Not sure why anyone would be upset at getting notification before the promised “no later than” date.”
Because the possibility creates anxiety. You can urge super rational thinking like “ Don’t worry about it til the ‘ no later than date and if you hear early that a bonus “ but frankly that goes against every instinct for most people. They know in every year it’s before ALWAYS BEFORE that date and so it creates a “ will it be today” anxiety for days and ,after deferral , for weeks on end. Just STOP it. Announce the damn dates…the exact dates…for release. Stick to them. Plenty of schools do. Otherwise You are toying with people and you know it.
This was a long time ago, but my oldest was deferred from EA from Caltech. They sent out acceptances via priority mail and rejections regular mail. It took a week for the rejection to come. By then of course we were pretty sure that’s what it would be, but it was disheartening coming to CC and seeing that the acceptances had arrived and having no idea whether the envelope had just been lost and at what point one should call their admissions office.
Carnegie Mellon did acceptances by waves - I think it was related to the fact that each school does their own decisions. Thankfully my kid was in a relatively early wave, though not the earliest.
University of Central Florida was a frustrating admissions decision process for D19. I would NOT recommend putting your OOS through it. It took months and months and months for a rejection. Meanwhile, they were sending D19 all sorts of marketing material, including “apply for honors.” By the time they FINALLY sent a response, D19 had already made her college selection elsewhere (with scholarship money).
@momofsenior1… Heh, watch it there… Michigan states everyone will know by April… They are kind enough to let some people know sooner ?..lol .
OK, it could be better and make some of our jobs easier helping people through the process. They are currently using a new system so it remains to be see if there will be a improvement.
I won’t pick on Cornell… (or will I?) but why interview one week and like reject the next…
Of the seven schools my son applied to, Michigan by far the worst. Kicking the can down the road is apparently ‘action’. Makes for an entertaining forum, but make a decision already. Postponed EA. No decision in first wave of RD. He will most assuredly pick somewhere else now, but will not withdraw application. We paid for a decision, so we will get a decision.
Lots of complaints in the Minnesota forum. My D applied early last year and heard early. BUT, she had a good friend who applied super early and waited and waited and waited. Meanwhile RD kids were hearing. They weren’t deferring, they just weren’t doing anything. Though Minnesota was her very top choice she eventually got frustrated and by the time she was accepted she had moved on. Tons of kids with similar stories.
Seems pretty clear they give answers to the “definitely yes” kids right away, and the rest wait until the RD applicants are in and they can compare all applicants. I wish they’d just defer from EA to RD so the kids know something is being done with their application. Instead they worry they have somehow slipped through the cracks or they are a no and just haven’t been told yet.
Re #13, others may correct me if I’m mistaken, but IIRC it works like this:
-the local alumni chapter gets a lists of applicants from their area from the admissions office;
-they divvy it up to individual alumni ;
-who do their (mostly informational) interviews as their schedules permit. Without further coordination with the admissions office.
The alumni are interviewing, the admissions office is evaluating. Admissions doesn’t necessarily wait for the alumni if it would hold them up. Their input is not given much weight in any event, generally speaking. Admissions probably doesn’t even know a particular candidate has an interview scheduled for a particular date. Not every candidate does an interview.
Not saying that is good, just answering re: how that can happen.
@TwoHighSchoolers I agree about UCF- they say rolling, but it can take months. For my D18- it worked the way it was supposed to. She used UCF’s application, applied the day it opened, and made sure she had all her materials in by the end of August- found out in September. I warn people to have everything in before October, otherwise even kids with good stats can end up waiting for months.
I love they way UCF can defer you one day and accept you the next- that happens often.