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Dealing with Disappointment
For many seniors, the college admissions decision may seem like the culmination of 17 or 18 years of hard work. Consequently, it can be difficult to keep the results in perspective. Here are two articles from The Boston Globe that offer some advice on dealing with this stressful and sometimes disappointing and overwhelming time:
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Playing the Waiting Game: Life on the Waitlist
For many seniors, April 1 marks the end of a long and often stressful period of uncertainty. Envelopes or emails from colleges will arrive, and the result is usually a definitive acceptance or denial. However, for students who are put on a college's waiting list, the next steps are less clear. Here are some tips on dealing with life on the waiting list.
Consider your options: Your first priority is to look at your acceptances, decide where you would like to go, and send a deposit signifying your commitment to that college. Although you may have your heart set on attending the place where you were wait-listed, colleges usually do not inform wait-listed applicants until June, which is past the deadline for securing your spot at another college.
Prioritize: When considering the different offers, you need to determine if you want to remain on any of the waiting lists and inform the college (or colleges) of your decision. Most colleges ask you to return a card stating your interest. If you are not passionate about attending a college that wait-listed you, do not remain on the waitlist. In an article from U.S. News and World Report, Eric Kaplan, the associate dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, offers this advice to students who have been wait-listed: "If they are happy with their other choices, please don't say, 'Yes' to the wait list. They could effectively be taking somebody else's spot."
Also, keep in mind that the chances of getting off of the waiting list are difficult to predict and vary depending on school and the number of applications a school receives each year.
Be Proactive: If you happen to get wait-listed to your dream college, there are some steps you can take in order to better your chances of getting admitted. Once you have determined that this one college is indeed for you, write a concise but sincere letter to the proper admissions contact. Oftentimes, this will be the person whose name is on the letter informing you that you have been waitlisted. You should also send a copy to the admissions representative for your region. This letter should briefly but specifically address why you are pursuing the school and any new developments that have taken place since the admission decisions were made, such as awards or notable academic or extracurricular achievements:
During second semester of senior year, I have continued to work on and improve my writing. This hard work paid off when I received an "A" on my senior research paper for English. My school also selected my paper as a submission to the district's high school writing contest.
You can also ask your guidance counselor if he or she would be willing to make a phone call or send an email to the college on your behalf. However, use this option with discretion, for most guidance counselors are likely only to do this for one college.
Ultimately, unless you have a compelling reason to pursue a college, prolonging the anxiety of the college admissions process by remaining on a school's waitlist is not practical or helpful. Although the waiting list can seem like a last-minute reprieve from the dreaded denial, there are advantages to picking a school that has accepted you and looking ahead to your college career. |
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April To-Do Lists
Freshmen through Seniors- Finalize summer activities such as paid or volunteer work, an enrichment course, or learning new skills. You could earn a lifeguard certification, learn to paint or improve computer skills. Keep reading and writing.
Juniors- Schedule the SAT and/or the ACT, and SAT Subject tests if required. Unless you are a strong standardized test taker, plan to study through a course, tutor or a free online website such as www.number2.com
- By now you should have completed a self-assessment of your grades, interests, and future goals and met with your counselor to develop an initial list of colleges. Continue researching your list and arrange visits over the summer-particularly if your fall will be occupied with extracurricular activities.
Seniors- Plan to visit or revisit colleges as you make your final decision about where to matriculate next year. Take the time to sit in on a class (which can be arranged through the admissions office) and talk to students on campus to get a better understanding of campus life.
- Be sure to send your deposit and housing forms by the deadline of May 1, 2009 to secure your spot at a college.
- If you are considering taking a year off to travel or participate in service then consider attending the Gap Year Fair this Sunday, April 5 from 1 pm to 4 pm at the Nobles and Greenough School in Dedham to learn about a range of exciting opportunities.
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Short Takes on Colleges: New Programs
- Rochester Institute of Technology is starting a bachelor of science degree in journalism, with an emphasis on new media and technology
- The University of Central Florida has started a new certificate program in victim advocacy
- Drew University is starting an undergraduate minor in international business
- Grinnell College is adding an interdisciplinary concentration in policy studies
- Arizona State University is starting a major in biomedical informatics
- Smith College is starting an undergraduate concentration in museums
From www.insidehighered.com |
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