Patch Blog: College Advising—The Waiting Game

These last four or five weeks of waiting can be the longest. You’ve submitted all your applications. (Congratulations!) And you’ve finished the fall semester of your junior year. (Hurray!) But now, you might be feeling anxious. When will that first letter arrive?

Rather than check your e-mail every hour and your mailbox twice a day, there are a few things to do that might actually help your chances for a better outcome.

1.  Call your favorite school, talk to an admissions director, give your name, and ask one good question about the school. You can ask something about housing, your intended major, or the likelihood of employment after graduating from Dream U. By making this call, you’re sending a message to that school that if they accept you, you will accept them. Now that you’ve called, maybe they will!

2. Make a list of your achievements since you sent in your applications.  Did your grade point average go up significantly? Did you earn a special award?  Did you accomplish a private goal, or complete a significant service project?  These things are all worthy enough for you to write a letter to all your schools, chronicling the special achievements you’ve made since applying to college.

3. Keep going in the right direction. Remember that you’re a student with a reputation to maintain. This is not the end of the line so don’t crash the train!   Enjoy these precious times in high school, but study to earn straight As.

4. Find a positive way to make it into your local paper. Maybe you could raise money for the library, give a recital that benefits a school for the blind, or campaign for someone or something that you really believe in. No matter what, you’ll feel like a star and people will notice the new you. And if you do make it into the paper, cut out the clipping and send copies of it to your favorite colleges. It might make a difference.

5. Make contingency plans. You’ve applied to a certain number of schools, each with certain requirements, and each with noteworthy advantages. Start thinking through your list. “If I’m accepted to colleges B, C, and D, I'll accept C.  If college D gives me money and college A doesn’t, I'll go with D.”  Taking the time now to consider your priorities will really benefit you later. When those letters, e-mails, and packets start arriving, you’ll only have a month to respond. What will you say? Call us for help if you have trouble with that decision.
 
—All the best from PerfectFitCollege.Net