More Applications, More Rejections, and Change Ahead?

This time last year, the Common App was in the news for its botched roll-out of its new online platform.  Students were frustrated by the many problems they encountered trying to save and submit the application.  Colleges fretted over glitches and bad downloads.  Many schools pushed back their deadlines; some highly selective schools signed on with the lesser-known Universal Application.

Ironically, the Common App is getting attention this year for its ease of use.  Well, sort of.  That's part of a bigger story surrounding the increasing applications at selective colleges.  Journalists, students, and some college administrators have begun to ask about the implications of a convenient, one-size-fits-all application that seems to cater to the anxious student's need to cast a wide net.  By making it easy to apply colleges can increase their applications.  And in doing so, they can turn away more students.  

Some places like the idea of increased applications, but it leads to less certainty.  Colleges are having a harder and harder time understanding who in their applicant pool is legitimately interested in enrolling.  So the colleges hedge their bets, too.  They rely more and more on binding early decision (these are the applicants whose interest they can be certain about), which makes life difficult for students not wanting to commit early in the process.

Could a new shared application provide a solution to the uncertainty of increased applications?  Could a less restrictive application allow colleges to ask questions of applicants that would help them make better admission decisions?  Some colleges are starting to explore that idea.  I had a conversation earlier this year with a dean of admission who noted the need for his school to not just mindlessly increase apps, but rather to reach the right students.  That dean and colleagues at a number of other schools are looking to create a new application that better fits their needs.  Perhaps by this time next year we'll be talking about an entirely new way to apply to a group of schools.

Stay Classy, Future Dawgs

UGA announced on their blog that they'll be releasing Early Action notifications tomorrow. (!!!!!) ...And seniors all over Georgia freaked out.  That's my educated guess, at least, based on the reaction around HI.  So here's your reminder to keep calm, and as tomorrow rolls around, to be mindful of how different people are impacted by UGA's news.

First - about timing: decisions are typically made available online after school.  There's no point in frantically refreshing your email and obsessively checking online all day.  Trust me, I know this; I spent last week tracking a UPS package I was way too excited for.  Even tough the website told me the exact day my highly anticipated item would be delivered, I repeatedly checked the package tracker website... just to be sure.  Don't be like me!  Do your best to enjoy your Friday at school.  Involve yourself in your classes; get lunch with your friends; go about your day as you normally would.

And then, when you do check your UGA status, do it at home or in some other private place, by yourself.  I get the logic behind wanting some solidarity, wanting to feel like you're all in it together.  But no good really comes from the group check.  The whole group never gets all the same news.  Someone ends up disappointed, and someone celebrates a little too much and ends up feeling like a jerk afterwards.

Be mindful that your excitement may not be shared by some of your friends.  That means being conscious of what you put on social media, being careful of what you share in group texts, and being supportive of one another.

And if you are deferred, it's by no means the end of the road.  You'll have an opportunity to send more info - which means more work, and that's not fun; I know - but you'll get a thorough review before getting your final decision in the spring.  A deferral is not a reason to be discouraged, it's just an opportunity to show the admission folks a bit more about yourself.  Work with your college counselors in the coming weeks to be sure you feel you're putting your best foot forward in Part II of UGA's app.

In short, the moral of the story here is to handle yourself with some class over the next 48 hours.  Check your decision in private, and celebrate good news as much as you want with your family and close friends.  But be mindful that your decision probably isn't something you need to broadcast all over social media and that someone else's decision isn't really any of your business.  And if you get deferred, check in with your college counselor and we'll get to work on Part II of the app.