Admission Decisions

How do I find my thing? What is my hook? As the college admissions landscape has evolved, these are the more common questions I am getting from students and their families.

  Are you a high school student eagerly eyeing your dream college? Perhaps you're anxious about your college application and wondering whether it's a good idea to reach out to the admissions office. You're not alone in having these questions, and we're here to provide clarity with some frequently asked questions about high school students contacting college admissions staff.

This post aims to serve as a Cliffs Notes version of the hundreds of conversations I’ve had with colleagues, friends, and neighbors since the Supreme Court decision came out in June 2023. As a graduate student at NYU, I worked closely with Professor Robert Teranishi, whose work was reviewed in the Supreme Court case that resulted in affirmative action being struck down in college admissions. I gathered data about college attainment levels in different Asian ethnic communities and presented at conferences about the importance of disaggregating racial data in college admissions.

Early Decision, Early Action, Early Decision II, Restrictive Early Action — believe it or not, the list goes on. There is no shortage of early application options for college admissions these days, and some hold a significant statistical advantage to students. Yes, this means that in some early processes, most students are significantly more likely to receive offers of admissions than if they applied Regular Decision.

The process of preparing for, taking, and responding to standardized test scores is a stressful and overwhelming one for students and families, and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this process has only become more stressful in recent years. One of the ways that colleges have responded to the pandemic's obstacles is to implement test-optional admissions policies to avoid disadvantaging students who have been unable to sit for an ACT or SAT. This was a sudden and drastic shift that left many students and families with questions about how it will impact their own applications.

Now that the anxiety of waiting to hear back from admissions offices has passed, it may set into motion a new phase of stress and uncertainty: deciding where to enroll. At this time, many students are weighing multiple offers of admission from great schools. If you created a balanced college list, the hope is that you have offers from a few great-fit colleges, any of which you’d be happy to attend.

After months of waiting, the envelopes — skinny, fat, and electronic — are finally arriving. The expert counselors at IvyWise have some advice for a few of the possible admissions scenarios you may be facing. Congratulations!

As you're researching schools on your college list, you may come across unfamiliar terms, such as Early Decision, Early Action, and Single Choice Early Action, among others. These are application options that differ based on the deadline, response date, and your commitment to attend the school, if accepted. Deciding which path to take involves research into school policies, not to mention preparation!

IvyWise counselors Victoria and Christine break down the college admissions rubric and discuss examples of different hard and soft factors that admissions officers evaluate on the college admissions podcast, giving listeners expert insight from former admissions officers. Listen Now! When making admissions decisions, colleges and universities in the US don’t just look at grades and test scores.

The regular admission deadline for many colleges has already passed, but there are a number of colleges in the U.S. that are still accepting applications well after the usual Jan.

Students and parents usually have a good idea of how to proceed if they receive an acceptance or rejection from a top-choice college. But what should families do if an applicant is put on the waitlist? As high school seniors across the globe weigh their admissions decisions, it can be difficult to navigate the process when the decision isn’t as clear-cut.