Many colleges are releasing Early Action and Early Decision results. It can be a guessing game in terms of when, though.
Some colleges do a great job of communicating when and how they will be notifying students about admissions decisions. Some colleges don't. Not knowing when you will find out can feel just as stressful as the ultimate decision.
A year ago right around this time, my oldest daughter was anxiously awaiting her Early Decision result. The college did not provide a date of when it would be releasing decisions. But one day in December, there was an Instagram story on the college's account that teased that students would be finding out very soon. I assumed that meant that day or within 24 hours. I was wrong. It wasn't until five days later that my daughter got her decision.
I appreciate when a college provides students with the exact date (and sometimes even the time) when it will be releasing decisions. The date is sometimes listed on the admissions website or it is communicated to students via email or the college's admissions portal. It helps everyone prepare. Knowing when a college will release admissions decisions allows a student to determine where they will be at that time. If it is during school or an after school activity, they can come up with a plan beforehand.
Some colleges provide a general timeframe without an exact date. Vanderbilt University, for example, states on its website that Early Decision students will hear by "mid-December." Does that mean they will release decisions on December 15th? Maybe. Maybe not.
And there are plenty of colleges that don't provide any details at all.
One of the reasons colleges don't announce a date is because they don't want to commit to a day and then not be able to deliver. However, students have deadlines to meet in this process. Colleges should be held to the same standards.
Yes, students will find out their admissions decision at some point. But having a heads up about when it is coming is a simple request. It's the little things that go a long way in this admissions process. If colleges could provide the date of when they will notify students about results in advance, we can all be on the same page.
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Last year when we were waiting for my daughter's Early Decision results, we just wanted to know when it was coming—no matter what it was. We weren't prepared. I was driving with her to Philadelphia on the Schuylkill Expressway. I almost got into an accident when she found out! It was good news and I was lucky to be with her. I just wished I wasn't driving on the most stressful and harrowing highway on the East Coast.
Timing matters when it comes to admissions decisions—not just for colleges. Students can mentally prepare for what is to come when they know when it's going to happen. Check to see if your college choice makes an announcement in advance. If they don't, let's demand that they do.
