The early decision system is a great yield/sports recruit management tool for colleges. One consequence often overlooked is the stress it adds on the shoulders of those who don’t get their EDs whilst hanging out with their friends who do have their admission in hand.
But that’s a good experience for life, no different than when college seniors have to confront the reality of many of their classmates who have already secured job offers, or later in life when certain have earned enough to decide exactly what they want to do next.
Congrats to those admitted early, safe journey to those still working hard on their essays and confronting another few months of anxiety
All those who had the profile/grades/challenging course load/high test scores and applied unhooked to schools with single digit admit rates shouldn’t feel hurt about rejection or deferral. It’s actual the statistical predicted outcome, no different from holding a valid ticket and not winning the megamillion jackpot. Wake up tomorrow morning and keep pushing forward, as they have learned, and which will be the most important success factor in their future.
We went through this two years ago with my older child. It was hard–we knew the chances of admittance were slight for any candidate, even the highly qualified ones. I know it is likely little comfort now, but my child ended up receiving a huge merit scholarship to a prestigious school–that was also her perfect match!–in the RD round. Now she can’t imagine attending anywhere else. I hope your child ends up attending a school that they love.
My kid didn’t ED, but some friends are waiting on decisions today. Even with EA- getting accepted is a ladder - you get to skip a few spaces on the game board, but getting rejected isn’t a chute- you are still progressing toward the finish line.
D24 was accepted to her ED!! It was a target school for her, so she had a great chance of being accepted, but such a relief to be finished with this process! Will update with the school/program, once she decides to share with others. For now, she’s sleeping very soundly.
We had one rejection and one acceptance last night. Luckily the rejection came first. It was D24’s top choice, but the one she got into was actually more of a reach. I don’t think she even allowed herself to get excited about it because she really didn’t think she would get in. I think she is in shock! And now we need to go visit in person because it has shot way up the list! I told her the universe has a way of pointing you in the right direction. The school she got into is also 40K less per year even with no merit - so I am happy about that!! Good luck to everyone waiting for decisions tonight!
I was wondering about that. Do you think that it actually does impact an applicant’s chances of admission for LAC’s like NESCAC if there was a student accepted ED from the same high school (a small HS at that)?
I love that analogy. Possibly in part because my college friends and I sometimes play Chutes and Ladders as a drinking game. But I also totally agree with the substance.
So, official admissions people will always say no. There are no quotas. But at the same time, the small colleges want to make sure they’re accepting a broad and varied class. Taking multiple kids from one small high school means there are other schools they can’t take anyone from.
So if it was my child, and I was advising them … I would say if they were an exceptional candidate, perfectly matched to a school, as in aligned with the values and priorities of the school (but unhooked), and there was already an athlete in, I would say, they still have a good chance. But if the student is just a “match” for the school, that’s no longer enough, and they are very unlikely to gain admission. I could be 100% wrong, but that’s my take.
D24 rec’d a rejection from her REA … halfway expected. She wasn’t terribly bothered and said two of her other schools are actually higher on her list. She’s a pretty matter-of-fact girl, so she knew the odds. It’s pretty much life as usual for now, waiting on a couple of EAs and then all of the RDs.
ED rejection at our house. Sad result mitigated by a visit from his girlfriend (what a good girlfriend!) and an EA acceptance later in the evening. At least we’ll save a ton of Ivy League money now!
ED rejection at our house, to Duke. D24 took it in stride. She was sad for at least an hour, but then she pivoted to discussing the possibility of rooming with a good friend who is awaiting UGA RD. D24 is already accepted, but she was actually upbeat in indicating she plans to start working on her Honors College application essay today.
I’m proud of her for being willing to chance rejection, and I firmly believe she has strengthened her resilience through this experience.
Don’t get me wrong; we would have loved a Duke acceptance. But being well qualified is merely necessary; it’s not sufficient. So the result isn’t a shock, just a momentary disappointment. She will absolutely thrive at UGA (or another school, if she so chooses).
Congrats to all those who received the desired acceptances!
For D24’s ED school, I asked the counselor at our (private, college prep) high school if there were any known athletic commits or other ED applications. The fact there there were none factored into our decision to ED. Just based on Naviance numbers, I knew not many got in from our school (especially in the past 4 years).
