Ask the Consultant: Double Depositing

Q: I can't make up my mind where I want to attend. Should I put down deposits at my first few choices?

A: We will admit -- we're not the best at reading the fine print either. Downloading a new version of iTunes? Gym membership contract? Move to the bottom, check "I agree," and add your John Hancock.

So you may have done the same with your Common Application. Every time you sent an application, you had to check a series of boxes, agreeing to policies and stipulations. One of those: "I affirm that I will send an enrollment deposit (or equivalent) to only one institution; sending multiple deposits (or equivalent) may result in the withdrawal of my admission offers from all institutions. [Note: students may send an enrollment deposit (or equivalent) to a second institution where they have been admitted from the waitlist, provided that they inform the first institution that they will no longer be enrolling.]"

Can you double deposit? The answer is no. 

Ask the Consultant: Waiting on the Waitlist

Q: I've been waitlisted at my first choice school. What do I do now?

A: The first thing you need to do is to focus on the schools where you were accepted. You need to make a decision by May 1, long before you are likely to hear about a waitlist offer. And choose carefully -- the harsh reality is that it is far more likely that you will be attending that college than getting off the waitlist at another.

There are many, many colleges that place a huge number of students on the waitlist -- sometimes over half of the students that applied. And they often only accept a small fraction of those on the waitlist, if any. Your odds are not good. 

Q: How do I know what my number on the waitlist is?

A: A common misconception is that college waiting lists operate like the queue at the deli. That is not the case. Colleges use their waitlist to fill specific slots. After May 1, they take a look at the composition of the enrolled class. Some years the college enrolls more students than they have room for. If that is the case, then no one gets off the waitlist. Other years, they don't quite get the numbers right. Then, the waitlist becomes one last attempt to shape their perfect class. More males than females? Low on Humanities majors? Bassoonists? Legacies? Poets? The admissions team determines what they are looking for and offers spots to students fitting that criteria. 

Q: I still want to try. Any advice to increase my chances?

A: If there is one piece of advice that we hear from college admission reps over and over again, it's that the student (not the parent) needs to let the college know that they are still very interested and will enroll if taken off the waitlist. The college doesn't want to waste time contacting students who may not take them up on the offer. It is far easier to go with a student that is a "sure thing." 

Ask the Consultant: Gap Year

Q: I've been thinking about taking a gap year. What kinds of things do students do?

A: While many students choose a structured gap year program that offers travel, service, and adventure, there are other options -- many at a far lower cost!

Apprentice: Undecided about your college major? Your future career goals? Your gap year can be a great time to explore a variety of areas. It can also be a wonderful time to gain a skill. Carpentry, glass blowing, filmmaking, fashion design... you may not have this opportunity again! 

Intern: Working for a business or a non-profit agency can help inform your direction for the future as well. Don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone a bit and try something different. Sometimes learning what you don't enjoy can be as illuminating as learning what you do. Besides, you might surprise yourself! 

Study: Many college-bound high school seniors graduate wishing that they had more time to explore electives and other academic areas of interest. If that is you, your gap year can be a great time to learn a new language, discover the joys of web design, or try your hand at blogging. However, if you have deferred your college acceptance for a year, as most students taking a gap year do, you will need to read the fine print of the deferral agreement. Most colleges prohibit you from taking credit-granting courses during your year off. 

Travel: Seeing the world, immersing yourself in a new culture, remains the most popular gap year plan. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” — American-British writer Bill Bryson

Volunteer: Whether it is a formal volunteer program like City Year, The Student Conservation Association or Habitat for Humanity or pitching in to help a group in your community, volunteering can nourish the mind and the soul.

Work: Want to start putting some cash away for your college years? Get a job! 

Ask the Consultant: Your Upcoming PPT

Don't pack your bags quite yet -- there is planning to do!

Q: My junior's PPT is coming up soon. Is there anything specific we need to address to prepare for the college years?

A: Yes! Junior year planning is very important, particularly for a student with a learning difference. There are several main areas that a college-bound student with an IEP or 504 plan needs to consider: learning style, self-advocacy, accommodations, and documentation.  

Leaning style: Hopefully, by junior year in high school, the student has a decent idea of their academic strengths and weaknesses -- and we all have them. This is a good time to assess: How do you learn best? In what types of classroom settings are you the most successful? What accommodations are you utilizing? Are there any others that you might need in college? 

Self-advocacy: The most important attribute of a successful college student with a learning difference is self-advocacy. College students must take charge of asking for accommodations! This includes self-identifying as a student with a learning difference and notifying professors themselves. So, in setting goals for the rest of high school, focus on self-advocacy!! 

Accommodations: We like to tell our students to think about the move from high school to college accommodations as a shift from entitlement to equal access. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that a K-12 student is entitled to receive services to prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living. Colleges must comply with the Americans for Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act but are not bound by IDEA. They must provide equal access to education, leveling the playing field for a student with a disability. 

Documentation: College learning support offices ask students to provide updated documentation of their disability (neuro-psychological testing, medical diagnosis, etc.). Usually, they want this to be done within the last three years, so requesting updated testing during the junior year makes a lot of sense. 

Unfortunately, junior year also tends to be the one in which many students are guided to or independently decide to exit the special education system, especially students that are finding success academically and are good self-advocates. And while it is tempting to see college as a clean slate, that is rarely the case. Getting accommodations for things like high stakes standardized testing and college courses requires that a student is utilizing the accommodations that they have been given. Remember, you bring yourself with you to college, so why not give yourself every opportunity to find success? 

Ask the Consultant: ED Deferral

Q: I've been deferred from early decision to regular decision. Can I apply ED2 to my second choice?

A: Yes! When a college does not accept you via a binding early decision plan and places your application in the regular pile, you are no longer bound to attend if admitted. Therefore, you are able to shift gears and make a second early decision choice.

One thing to remember, however, is that you will most likely hear back from your ED2 school well before you will hear from any of your regular decision schools -- and if you are accepted, you have committed to withdrawing all other applications. So you will never know if you would have gotten into that ED1 school. If you're OK with that, go for it!!

Ask the Consultant: Are Colleges Looking at My Social Media?

Q: Do colleges really check my social media accounts? My mother is convinced that they do and wants me to delete everything! 

A: A recent study by Kaplan Test Prep found that 35% of admission officers say that they check an applicant's social media. Can what they find there sway a decision? Of course!! But it's not always a negative. 

Many college admission officers state that social media can actually have a positive impact on a decision. 

Of the college admission reps that said that they check social media, 47% said that what they found online has had a positive impact on an admission decision. Anecdotally, we've seen the same. One of our seniors last year had a handwritten note on her acceptance letter. It said, "we follow you on Twitter and love your insight and perspective."  In the case of this particular student, she had used her Twitter feed as more of a blog than an encapsulation of or commentary on her daily life. And on the flip side, we had a recruited athlete that was dropped by a college coach because of the insensitive nature of some of his posts with regards to women and LGBTQ individuals. 

Do you need to delete all social media? Of course not. "I might actually wonder why a student didn't have any online presence," said a college rep in our office recently. But if you wouldn't put that post on a billboard -- take it down!

Ask the Consultant: I Still Haven't Heard!!

Q: My classmate and I applied to the same college.  They just received an acceptance letter and I haven’t heard.  Does that mean I didn’t get in?

A: Not at all!  Colleges don’t necessarily mail all of the acceptances at the same time, and the communication that trickles out of the admissions office may not be correlated to the geographic area of the applicant. Even for letters that were postmarked on the same day, sometimes the time it takes a letter to get from one place to another varies. So, try not to read too much into whether your classmate already received their acceptance letter.  You may just have a fat envelope waiting for you at home.

Ask the Consultant: HELP, Typo in my Common App!!

Q: I submitted my Common Application a few weeks ago. When I looked back at it again, I noticed a typo in my activities. What do I do?

A: A college representative was visiting our office a few weeks ago, and we asked the same question of her. "Students need to realize that we are human too! We are far more understanding than they think!"

Mistakes happen all the time! 

So what should you do if you discover an error in an application that has already been submitted? If it absolutely needs to be corrected, such as an incorrect essay version or glaring typo, the student should call the school and ask what their policy is for correcting the mistake. Often, the college will have the student email the change to the general admission email -- an admission staff member can then make the adjustment on their end, sometimes even before the file has been reviewed. If the error is more of an oops than egregious, it can be a harder call. Sometimes, it is better just to let it go. Pointing out the error may draw more attention to it, which could be a bad thing.

"I totally get it! These kids are juggling so much," said the rep. "Even calling us the wrong name in a supplement I'll let go if the rest of the application is strong."

Ask the Consultant: Do Mid-Year Grades Count?

Q: Do mid-year grades really count in college admissions, even if I’m applying Early Decision or Early Action?

A: Most colleges will want to see your senior mid-year grades, no matter when you submit your application or whether you apply Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Decision.  What are they looking for?  Well, as you would expect, they want to see that you are maintaining your performance or, better yet, have an upward trajectory which might strengthen your application.  For those applicants “on the bubble,” solid mid-year grades can help tip the scale in the applicant’s favor.  

Can't I relax???

Even accepted Early Decision candidates are expected to maintain the same level of achievement as in prior years.  Admission offers can be (and have been) rescinded with a significant drop in grades. So, don’t slack off once those applications are in or almost done.  It’s a stressful time, we know, but you’re almost there.  Maintain your grades to optimize your chances for admission – even in your senior year!