College Admissions: The Stress of Early Decision by Dr. Paul Lowe – College Admissions Guru

It's early decision time and anxiety is beginning to fill the air.  For some, within the next week or so it will be a time to celebrate – accepted!  And for others, it will be discouraging and disappointing - deferred or worse, a rejection letter. 

This is expected to be another highly competitive year.  The number of high school graduates is increasing, while the admissions rates to the Ivies, highly selective and competitive schools continue to fall.  These facts are daunting. Why? 

First reason, the number of available beds/slots remains essentially the same.  Schools are not building additional dorms to accommodate, for example, an additional ten thousand students. 

Second reason, more colleges and universities are using the Common Application.  It's simply easier to fill out the application online, then press submit - you're done!  Therefore, more students are applying.  Notice, this does not mean that it's easier to get in! 

Third reason, there is a more diverse application pool.  This does not necessarily mean race, as may be perceived by many high school students, their parents and school counselors.  Admissions committees assemble diverse incoming freshman classes. To increase diversity of incoming classes, colleges are now increasing the recruitment of international students, veterans, adult students, home-schooled students, transfer students from community colleges and students from cities, counties and states where the college-bound rate is low. 

As high school seniors at the local, regional, national and global levels await the verdicts from the colleges of their choices, I often reflect on my College Admissions seminars' Question and Answer sessions and the parents' and students' comments that I hear at college open houses.   Many students sound the same and will ultimately sound exactly alike on their Common Applications and even in person!

Students applying early often make several irrevocable mistakes on the Common Application.  (1) Not following directions.  (2) Not answering the questions. (3) Not understanding the supplements (4) Not writing in one’s own voice. (5) Not personalizing the application. (6) Incorrectly listing extracirricular activities. (7) Incomplete applications. (8) Not proofreading the application for spelling or grammatical errors.  

More importantly, I find that students often take advice from peers, use the same resources (periodicals, books, internet) and use the same "unique" strategies and game plan.  When admissions officers are reviewing thousands of applications in a short period of time, it makes their jobs easier when everyone sounds exactly alike. Everyone sounds uniquely special! 

So how can you best stand out? My advice to you is be yourself and seek professional, expert, college admissions advice to help you stand out.  This is easier said than done in a society where everyone is encouraged to be "unique" just like everyone else.  My advice to applicants who applied early decision and receive unsatisfactory admissions letters – there is still time to re-strategize for the regular decision schools!  

Dr. Lowe is President of Pinnacle Educational Center and Managing Director of the Admissions Advisors Group.  He is the lead admissions expert at the Admissions Advisors Group: Woodbridge Admissions Advisors (www.woodbridgeadmissionsadvisors.com) (203) 387-1574 and Greenwich Admissions Advisors (www.greenwichadmissionsadvisors.com) (203) 542-7288, Manhattan Admissions Advisors (www.manhattanadmissionsadvisors.com) (212) 829-4341 and International Admissions Advisors (www.internationaladmissionsadvisors.com). 

Dr. Lowe's clients in the central north region of Connecticut include students from:  Simsbury High, Avon Old Farms, Suffield Academy, Watkinson School, North West Catholic, Avon High, Ethel Walker, Loomis Chaffee, Farmington High, Kingswood Oxford, Miss Porter's School and Westminister School.

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