Getting Off Wait Lists: Will April Showers Bring May Flowers?

Here in the Northeast, it’s supposed to feel like spring, but it doesn’t. We’re still waiting. So are scores of high school seniors. They’d like to know where they’ll be going to college in the fall, but they’re uncertain. They’ve been placed on college wait lists.

Two years ago, my neighbor’s son had the good fortune to gain admission to Georgetown and University of Virginia, and he was torn about where to go. Just when he thought he had made up his mind, he heard from Duke, which had waitlisted him. He’s now a Blue Devil (who actually walked on to the lacrosse team that won a national championship). That same year, one of my students was waitlisted by another highly regarded Southern school. During his April break, the student and his mom flew down Southtoured the campus and stopped in at the admissions office unannounced. They expressed their enthusiasm about the university to an admissions officer. A few weeks later, my student was admitted. (Those who read my February blog on showing love may recognize this syndrome at work!)

So there is proof that students can indeed get off wait lists. Should they count on this? Experts say absolutely not. Should waitlisted students sit back and wait for May flowers? Not a chance! If a student really would like to attend a school at which he or she is waitlisted, that student should take action. Here are some suggestions:

• First of all, a reply card is included when a student is notified of a wait list decision. If he or she is serious about the school, he should return the card as soon as possible.
• However, that’s not enough. The student should compose a letter to the Admissions Director or Regional Rep – by name – that expresses his or her desire to attend. If finances are not an issue and the student really wants that school, he should state, in no uncertain terms, “If accepted, I will attend.” I advise my clients to use real U.S. mail or Federal Express to send this letter rather than having the message lost in a sea of e-mails.
• Students who really want to gain admission to a school at which they have been waitlisted should not stop there. They should meet with their college counselor and enlist that counselor as an advocate. The counselor can call the admissions rep – hopefully they’ve established a dialogue during the school year – and reaffirm the student’s interest.
• Should there be a meaningful development (e.g., being named team captain or winning an award), the student or counselor should inform the target school.
• Some students go as far as asking for an additional letter of recommendation or getting in touch with someone influential, such as a member of the board of trustees. They should do so carefully, making sure not to flood the college with information or harm existing relationships with any contacts.


In the meantime, send in your deposit to be sure your student has somewhere lined up for the fall. And remember: as certain as warm weather will eventually come, good things will happen to those who are waitlisted.

Mark Your Calendar!

I used to get a kick out of fooling people on April 1st. But since I’ve been in the college advisory business, April 1st has taken on an entirely different meaning. For high school students (and their parents and counselors), April 1st tops many lists of anxiety-producing days because many colleges use it as the decision notification date. In honor of this special day, I reached out to clients to find out what April Fool’s myths were on their minds.

Truth or April Fool: The legacy factor is more important in early decision than it is in regular decision. Truth! Penn acknowledges that legacy status plays a smaller role in regular versus early decision. Rumor has it that Penn opens an office each year just to review the ED applications of legacies but closes it once the early decisions have been made. Interestingly, the Penn alumni website states that two-thirds of its legacy applicants are not admitted – period. A recent study by a Harvard doctoral candidate stated that the “legacy advantage varied enormously: one college was more than 15 times as likely to accept legacy applicants, while at another, the effect was insignificant.” By the way, this same study clarified that primary legacy (a child of an alum) was much more significant in terms of admission than a secondary connection (such as a parent going to grad school at the university or a grandparent having attended).

Truth or April Fool: Schools are need-blind when it comes to admissions. April Fool! According to a February 2011 article in The Wall Street Journal, some schools are more need-aware than they are need-blind. As a result, they may take more international students who can pay their own way. Financial status may also be a factor in taking students off wait lists or when accepting transfers. Among those schools cited in the Journal article were Williams, which increased its international pool, and Stanford, Yale and Dartmouth, which adjusted their formulas for determining aid.

Truth or April Fool: It is easier to get in early than to get in regular decision. Truth! Most research I found confirms that early decision is a good choice for students who know what they want. In his blog, college admissions reporter Jacques Steinberg shared information from “The State of College Admission,” published annually by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. According to the study, the acceptance rate was 15 percent higher for binding early decision than for regular decision applications. School officials “chalk it up” to higher quality in the early round. A consultant cited in a November 2009 Smart Money report agreed, explaining that students accepted early have “first crack at the money.” Incidentally, Harvard, Princeton and University of Virginia have opted to reinstate early options. Despite the argument that early decision is unfair to those who depend on aid, an official from Lafayette College points out that “although early decision is binding, no college will hold a student to a contract if a family determines that the financial aid package is inadequate.”

Truth or April Fool: A thin envelope means “no thanks.” April Fool! Don’t toss those thin envelopes! They could very well contain information about being put on the waiting list. To remain on waiting lists, for example, students may have to return a form or reply card. (If your student is placed on a waiting list, be sure to express in no uncertain terms his or her willingness to attend that school.)

Truth or April Fool: No one gets in off the wait list. April Fool! I know students who are happily enrolled at universities to which they had originally been wait listed. Some students receive phone calls from admissions representatives asking, “If we take you, will you go?” One may argue that this puts a student, particularly one which needs to compare aid packages, in a very difficult position, but these calls really do happen.

Truth or April Fool: Decisions really are rendered on April 1st. April Fool! Many schools will notify students in advance of that date. Students can usually find out the actual date through the Internet. Some schools, however, still use the U.S. Postal Service to send out decisions.

Keep sending those myths! And remember to show your sense of humor on April 1, 2011.

Works Cited and Suggested Reading:

Smart Money, Do Early Decision Students Get More Aid?

The New York Times, The Case for Early Decision

The Chronicle of Higher Education, At Elite Colleges, Legacy Status May Count More Than Was Previously Thought

The New York Times, Early Action Could Aid in Admission, Report Finds

The Wall Street Journal, What to Do As Colleges Cut Back on Financial Aid

In February, Is it Important to Show Your Love?

This brutal winter is all too familiar. Snow and ice cover our yards, driveways, and walkways. We spend too much time indoors. (In my case, that means too many hours at the laptop, and not enough in the workout room!) College admissions officers are huddled up as well. In most cases, they spend the bulk of February reading applications, much to the dismay of their loved ones.

As a parent, you may spend the cold, winter nights wondering where your child will end up. If you’re the parent of a senior, you’re relieved the apps are in, but you might not be able to withstand the tension between now and early April. (Hopefully you’re not doing too much second-guessing.) If you’re the parent of a sophomore or junior, you may be reading Fiske’s, scrolling through admissions blogs, or setting up college visits. As you think about your son’s or daughter’s future standing with the schools on the latest hot list, you may wonder: Do they need to show their love?

Apparently, that need varies by school. At Brown University, for example, showing love isn’t going to affect a candidate’s status. Brown has too many applications – about 31,000 this year (up 3 percent from a year ago, when the increase over the prior year was a whopping 20 percent). In fact, when I attended a lecture featuring Brown’s Dean of Admissions James Miller back in 2008, he made it abundantly clear: too many students love Brown, and showing their love just isn’t going to sway Brown’s admissions officers.

However, there are cases where showing love is very important. A few years ago, a student of mine was wait-listed at a selective Southern school. During April break, the student and his mother flew to Atlanta, walked the campus, and showed up unannounced at the admissions office. The officer to whom they spoke took down some notes about them, and two weeks later, the candidate was admitted. He’s now happily immersed in his sophomore year. Showing his love was important indeed.

In this era of instantaneous communications, I always urge students to know how to reach their admissions reps. Sometimes, students meet these reps in the fall while attending school-specific information sessions. Especially with national universities, these visits are important to the rep as well as important to the student; that rep will subsequently read the applications from his or her assigned geographical region, make decisions about their candidacy, and defend those decisions in front of the admissions committee. So for your sons and daughters, it may be helpful – sometimes necessary – to show their love to those reps. This is especially true when there is a development that could enhance the student’s application in the eyes of the admissions office. This could happen when a student receives a departmental award, wins a leading role in the musical, or is named captain or MVP of his or her team. While we hope that school counselors keep in touch with the reps to update them on candidate news, counselors service many clients. That’s why nothing beats a personal note or e-mail from the student announcing an important development . . . as long as he or she uses them sparingly!

So this month, make sure to show your loved ones how much you care. I, for one, adore all your sons and daughters – as if they didn’t know . . .

Sincerely,


Nina Berler
Founder and Blogger
unCommon Apps

Welcome, 2011!
The Year of the Realistic Resolution

Sometimes, we just have too much on our plates. It’s ironic to use that expression around the holidays, but it certainly can be appropriate. We’re torn between schoolwork and housework, friends and family, year-end tasks and New Year’s resolutions. That’s why I’m always glad to move past the holidays and begin a new year. Sure, it’s scary and unknown. But it’s also exciting, fresh and new. So clear that plate; it’s on to a new year!

Whether or not we make resolutions, we generally start the year with good intentions: setting objectives, eating healthy, exercising more, listening to others, or [you fill in the blank]. We’re filled with nervous energy, and we’re anxious to effect positive change. Some of us make the most of the situation. Others, however, fall back on old habits. This is especially true for parents of college applicants, and the students themselves.

Take the overanxious parent, for example. Who could argue that it’s not tempting to step in and help an overwhelmed junior by making phone calls to admissions offices and arranging college visits, even if they’re to parents’ top choices? Are parents acting at the request of their sons or daughters, on behalf of their children or for their own peace of mind? Students, grappling with quizzes, tests and papers, get bogged down in details, and when they need guidance and validation, they would just as soon e-mail a friend than go see a teacher. Others succumb to the tempting Internet rather than concentrating on the tasks at hand.

So it sounds like resolutions would be very welcome, but only if they’re realistic. Here are some suggestions:

Realistic New Year’s Resolutions – Parent
• Set realistic expectations for your child
• Don’t do your child’s work
• Check online grading systems regularly
• Step in if needed to avert a crisis
• Insist that your student see his or her teachers

Realistic New Year’s Resolutions – Student
• See your teachers regularly, even if you’re doing well
• Be choosy about your extracurriculars; don’t overbook!
• Work on vocabulary, critical reading and test-taking skills
• Post a list of target schools, and look at it regularly

Post these resolutions and look at them regularly.

Best wishes for a productive 2011!

(Soon to be) Giving Thanks

Look at the background on my laptop or in my home office and you’ll see it: a shot of my son, Phil, engaged in conversation with President Obama. How did he do it? He found out online (of course) that, in conjunction with MTV, the President was hosting a youth town hall meeting in Washington, DC. Hot to make the most of his college experience – he’s a freshman at GW – my son applied, was interviewed and offered a spot in the audience. By a sheer act of randomness, Phil was seated directly in front of the President and adjacent to his water glass! Since they didn’t have time to meet during a break, the President approached Phil after the show and they talked. Needless to say, Phil was thrilled, as were his parents.

When I think back on where we were a year ago, I certainly didn’t think I’d be writing about Phil meeting the President. Instead, we were caught up in our own world of college admissions. How many schools should he apply to? (I had heard 12 was the going number.) Did his Personal Essay do enough to woo the readers in the many admissions offices? Why wasn’t he seeing his college counselor, that very person who was writing his recommendations? Would he withstand the pressures of his very competitive high school and come up with a better-than-respectable mid-year report? Who else was applying to his top choices?

If you are the parent of a senior, perhaps you are facing some of these challenges. You’re probably wondering, “Why didn’t they tell me that the first half of the senior year is actually worse than the junior year? What if [fill in the name] messes up and schools get a negative report in January? What if [fill in the name] doesn’t get in anywhere?” If you are the parent of a junior, you may have similar fears or questions. Knowing that your student is facing a sea of tests, quizzes, quests, SATs, ACTs and APs in the coming months doesn’t do anything to ease your nerves.

Here’s the good news: you will all make it! Parents: Your student will survive, and maybe even thrive. (You’ll probably settle for survive.) Next year he or she will be in a great school, and instead of worrying about applications, you will be talking about roommates, dining options and holiday break. Seniors: You need to divide what seem like insurmountable tasks into manageable pieces. For example, don’t attempt to apply to 12 schools at once, but plan to have all those applications in on time, breaking up your list by priority schools and priority dates. The more applications and essays you do, the more the experience will pay off. Have a set of trusted eyes handy to check key dates and help proofread applications. Juniors: Select the timing of your standardized tests with care. Curtail unproductive activities, but keep those about which you are passionate. See your teachers (please)!

Be thankful that by next year at this time, you will have even more expertise as a parent, friend and adviser. Be thankful for the friends who support you. Who knows? Maybe a year from now, someone you know will be meeting the President!

Early Decision: A Trick or a Treat?

As temperatures drop and leaves fall, thousands of high school seniors decide whether or not to apply Early Decision. Ideally, the student has done his or her homework, completed the college visits, analyzed the curriculum and attended on-site sessions by the college representative prior to firming up this decision. However, we don’t live in an ideal world. Students have been known to apply early for reasons such as:

• The Guidance Department has established an early deadline so it can get all paperwork where it needs to be, and the student feels that he or she must also rush.
• The student can’t cope with the anxiety of waiting beyond December.
• The student believes that the slot in his or her school of choice would be unattainable, or he or she would rather not compete head-to-head with a friend or classmate, so that student is applying ED to his or her second-choice school.
• Applying early is part of a broader strategy to maximize the student’s chances.

I have heard all these reasons from my students. I have also heard college admissions staff deny that applying early improves a student’s chances of admission. But look at the statistics: Brown filled nearly 40 percent of its Class of 2014 with early applicants, and nearly 20 percent of those applying were admitted. The remainder of the class came from regular decision, yet only 9.3 percent of those applicants were admitted, a record low. Brown’s early pool last year, by the way, was up 21 percent.

Is ED for everyone? Absolutely not. Some students just can’t make up their minds and decide to wait it out until late March or early April. Others need to show colleges that they can earn top grades in challenging courses, particularly if they showed inconsistencies in junior year. Moreover, there are some students who need to wait because they are candidates for financial aid who need to compare offers. Many opponents of ED – or schools like Harvard and Princeton which eliminated the option – assert that ED puts well-off students at a competitive advantage.

Be sure to check policies on a school-by-school basis. Some colleges have non-binding Early Action options, but students should understand the differences between programs. For example, Stanford's program is non-binding but restrictive, meaning a candidate cannot apply to any other college's early programs. Some colleges use rolling admissions, allowing students to be able to say, “I’m in.” The University of Michigan engages both policies, allowing students to apply Early Action while evaluating students applying after the deadline on a rolling basis. Early Decision 2, available at some schools, can be a very attractive option should a student be deferred or rejected from an his or her Early Decision college. Again, ED 2 will not be a solution for a student wanting to compare financial offers, but it is a great option for students applying to the most competitive schools, as so many do here in the Northeast. Vassar College, for instance, requires ED 1 applicants to submit their information by November 15th. However, Vassar has an ED 2 option, the deadline for which is January 1st. The student will get a result in late January.

No student – no matter how well qualified – should bank on ED. A diligent student will draft or complete applications to several other schools. He or she should show up at information sessions and introduce himself or herself to touring reps. Some college counselors encourage applicants to keep in touch with applications officers via e-mail, though I would do so sparingly, either as follow-up to seeing a rep in person or accomplishing a feat after the application is filed.

Last year, my son told me, “I could never live with myself [if I didn’t apply ED to _____].” It was good enough for me. However, I also cautioned him to keep his decision to himself. Fueling friends or peers with information only raises questions and fuels expectations.

A few years ago, I heard a college admissions director say, “Early Decision should be just that – a decision – and not a strategy.” Many counselors and students know better.

September 2010: Back to School for Students

Do you dread the fall? Too many students do. After all, fall means no more sun, surf, unlimited TV and Internet and hanging with friends. Some students, however, are anxious for school to begin. They delight in having a routine, regular interaction with friends, fun extracurriculars and perhaps new teachers and more inviting courses than the previous year.

For juniors and seniors, however, the start of school may be particularly unsettling. Will the course load be overbearing? Will the studying be unmanageable? Will the social pressures be too distracting? More importantly, will there ever be time for college visits, interviews or the Common App?

If those challenges seem insurmountable, listen up! You can take some important steps to take charge of your year:

Develop a good relationship with your guidance counselor. Like it or not, this professional will be very important in the year ahead. After all, he or she will be writing your college recommendation. Do you want someone to write about you if he or she hardly knows you? So stop by and see your counselor. Make a point of telling him or her how you feel about your courses, what you did over the summer or where you’re thinking of applying.

Maximize your time on the road. Group college visits geographically to avoid making extra trips. If you’re applying to schools that offer onsite interviews, take full advantage of the opportunity while you’re there. (Just be sure you have written down what you find attractive about that particular college community and what you’d like to ask the interviewer.) Bring along homework or reading for long rides or overnight stays.

Be proactive with your studying. Don’t just do your homework or study the night before a quiz or a test. Instead, do practice tests at the end of your chapters. If you’re in AP courses, go online and look at previous exams to understand the scope of your course. Get used to how you’ll be tested, for example with document-based questions (DBQs).

See your teachers! Going to see a teacher can be particularly anxiety laden for many students. However, it is a crucial behavior to develop now. Here are some situations that might warrant a teacher visit: clarifying a thesis statement for an essay or research paper; asking advice about what to study before a test; or showing the teacher writing in progress. As I always tell students, the visit to a teacher can make the difference in borderline situations.

Fall is new, fresh and crisp. Breathe deeply; positive change is in the air!