If the U Fits: Expert Advice on Finding the Right College and Getting Accepted by The Princeton Review

Author:The Princeton Review [Review, The Princeton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: education, reference, Study Aids, College Guides, Organizations & Institutions
ISBN: 9780804124720
Google: RVMZAwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2014-04-29T00:12:35.170540+00:00

Apply strategically

Once you’ve identified which application plans are offered by your chosen colleges, here’s how to choose the right plan and decide which applications to do first.

1. Submit rolling applications first.

Many students can begin their senior year having already received an acceptance from a rolling admissions school. Talk about a nice emotional boost. Imagine knowing for sure you have at least one college to attend before you’ve even finished the bulk of your applications. That’s why it’s a good idea for students to complete their rolling applications first, even if those schools are far from their first choices. Your chances of admission will be stronger because there are a lot more spots available at the beginning of the admissions cycle than there are at the end of it (and you never know when the class will fill up).

2. Apply early (binding or nonbinding) only if you’re a competitive applicant.

When you apply early, you’re evaluated based on what you’ve accomplished by early November. What if you get your best GPA in the first semester of your senior year? What if you retake the SAT in December and improve your score by 120 points? What if you win a debate tournament or get named MVP of the field hockey team or receive a department award in physics?

Early admissions decisions will likely be made before a college can consider any of those accomplishments. If you’re not confident, why not do everything you can to have your best semester yet? Nothing improves your chances more than improving your qualifications.

3. If you apply early, keep working on your other applications.

College applications are a lot of work (obviously), and it can be tempting for students who submit early applications in November to wait with their fingers crossed, leaving all their other college applications to wait until they heard back from their early school.

Sure, that’s a great system if you get an early acceptance. But if you don’t, you’ll have to muster the enthusiasm to put all the necessary love and attention into finishing your remaining college applications, get them done in just a few weeks over your holiday break, all while nursing the emotional hangover from having a dream school reject you.

Don’t do that to yourself. Complete all of your college applications before your holiday break. If your early school says “No,” you’ll be able to take some solace in the fact that at least your other applications have already been submitted.

Yes, if your dream school admits you, you’ll have completely wasted your time on those other applications. But which problem would you rather have?

4. Apply early decision only if you are sure the school is your first choice.

Early decision was designed for students who have a clear first choice school and are willing to commit early, not as a way to gain an admissions advantage. Most seniors aren’t ready to pledge their undying love to one college (fewer than 10 percent of the students at Collegewise apply early decision). If you aren’t ready to make the commitment early, don’t apply early decision, and don’t feel badly about it.

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