You’ve studied, tested, written essays and filled out multiple applications. You’ve read about, visited and talked with people about colleges, internet-hopped college websites and come up with a final list. You’ve schmoozed with college students, admissions officers, alums, and friends until you’re blue in the face. Finally! Now is the time when this all pays off.

A. What To Do About Deferred Admissions, Waitlists, And Denials

1. If you are not accepted to a school, you may be offered a deferred admission, waitlisted or denied.
2. Students offered deferred admittance to a school are accepted, but for some later time like the next semester or year. Find out the terms for the deferred admission and decide if you want to accept them.
3. If you are put on a waitlist, there are things you can do:
   • Immediately notify the college that you want to remain on the waitlist.
   • Follow the college’s directions for dealing with their waitlist, such as completing a form, writing a letter, getting extra recommendations, etc.
4. Very few people denied admission later gain acceptance through appeals, but it does happen. If you have plausible reasons, follow the school’s directions for how to appeal a denial.

B. What To Do About Choosing Your College

1. If you have trouble deciding on one college, there are a number of things you can do.
   • Talk with students, teachers, family and friends about your options
   • Identify what you want in a college
   • Examine and compare the financial aids packages of the colleges that have accepted you
   • Attend Pre-Admit events
   • If you still are uncertain, consulting with your high school or independent counselor
2. Take care not to choose a college only for its prestige or high ranking. Choose a school that best fit you.
3. Resist the temptation to accept admission to a college in order to please someone else. Obviously, you need to take into consideration financial realities and your parents concerns. However, you need to choose a school where you will be happy and where you want to spend the next four years of your life.
4. Finally, if you happen to make a wrong decision about a college, it’s not fatal. You can transfer to another college, sometimes as soon as the next semester or year.

Senior Year April April is the month when colleges let students know if they’ve been accepted, waitlisted or denied (and sometimes deferred to a later date). This is also when accepted students are invited to attend Pre-Admit events. This is also the month that students usually challenge waitlists and denials and deal with deferred admissions. May By May 1st, you must notify your chosen college that you plan to attend their school in the fall. You should also inform all other colleges of your decision not to attend their schools. June Make sure that your final high school transcript is sent to the college of choice. If you want to get credit for AP courses, also make sure your AP transcript is sent. Put on your calendar when tuition, room and board, and other payments are due at your college.

Parents Final college decisions are sometimes easy: your child gets into the college of his/her choice. However, sometimes students are put into a kind of admissions limbo if they are waitlisted or offered deferred admission. Some students have the dilemma of having to pick from among a number of great choices. And, of course, there are students who are rejected by their first choice schools. Of all the times parent support is needed, it is now. You can celebrate with your child if all has gone well; but it’s important that you be supportive of him/her if favorite colleges don’t send acceptance letters. If that happens, it’s vital that you help your child resist the temptation of dwelling on where he/she has not been accepted. Rather, encourage him or her to focus on choosing the best college from the possible options. Most students end up having wonderful college experiences whether or not they have gotten into their first choice school.

If you want more information about any of the above, or

• What it means to be deferred, waitlisted and denied
• How to decide whether to accept a deferred admission, including the pros an cons of such an arrangement
• How to get off a college waitlist
• The consequences of making a deposit at more than one college
• How to appeal a denial of admission
• What to do if you don’t get accepted to any college
• How to decide on one college from many choices
• Different decision-making processes to go through that lead to your making a final choice
• What to do if you want to take a gap year before going off to college
• Sample letter to send to a college at which you have been waitlisted
• Sample letter to send to a college at which you have been denied

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