Early News
As we look forward to what the new year will bring, we can start by looking back at what we’ve learned from our senior’s early admissions season.
The winning formula! For students accepted into highly selective colleges, the winning formula continues to be strong grades, strong test scores (SAT or ACT), strong essays, demonstrated interest, and being an active member of their school community. For students who fall into these categories and have identified their first-choice school, applying early decision is still a competitive advantage.
It’s not getting any easier! The college landscape continues to be exceptionally competitive. Rejections and deferrals during the ED/EA period are not uncommon and can be emotionally draining. Having a broad list of colleges continues to be the best strategy. All of our seniors who have been rejected or deferred this cycle have gained entrance to at least one other early action school! Having an acceptance in hand while waiting for the regular decision notifications in March and April helps alleviate student and family stress.
Scholarships! Taking the time to write an additional essay to apply for a scholarship is absolutely worth it. These essays need to be as polished as your application essays, so they need the same attention as the rest of your supplements. Our seniors have received tens of thousands of dollars of scholarship money, in part because they took this extra step. Not only does this help with the cost of college, but it is well-earned recognition for the student who is willing to go the extra mile.
Writing! Writing! Writing! One of the biggest factors in a student's success throughout their education is their ability to craft a well-written essay - and the college application process is no exception! The good news is that students can use this skill from freshman year through grad school, so putting in the work to get a better handle on writing is worth the investment. Coming into the college application process as a strong writer makes things easier on both the student and their families!
And above all ED/EA is just the beginning of this stage of the college application process, and like all of the other steps, this takes time. If your student did not get the news they had wanted in this phase, it is important to remain positive about what is to come.