So do colleges really wait until the dates they have on their website to accept or deny? It is a long way away and it is making me crazy… I would think they would give answers to top candidates or definite denials sooner… NO?
Most schools release acceptances/denials all at the same time. Sometimes the date of this release varies depending on how quickly admissions officers can get through all the applications. The date listed on a college’s website is usually the latest that the release will happen.
There is a thread here which keeps a list of the past release dates and upcoming release dates for popular colleges. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1853138-admissions-notification-dates-2016.html
thank you @sophie9999
Back in the day, private colleges would send postcards marked “Likely to admit” and also “Unlikely to admit” to various applicants.
But nowadays, there is so much to go through, they need every moment. The one very particular date is the so-called “Ivy day” where the 8 Ivies agree to simultaneously issue their decisions. This prevents an arms race to better one another with early notifications. It works well for them. Other schools have traditional target dates as well. That’s just how they operate.
For you – let it go. It’s out of your hands so you should simply enjoy your last HS semester. Go out with a bang. Be adventurous, have fun, ask out guys/gals you were previously afraid to. Kill your last semester graded because you can…not because someone is going to ask you. That’s what I did.