Campus Bound

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As Early Action and Early Decision deadlines approach and pass, Campus Bound counselors have fielded many questions from anxious parents and students.

If I applied Early Action, what does it mean to be deferred?

When you apply Early Action, three outcomes can occur.  You can be accepted, rejected, or deferred.  While the first two are more clear-cut, many students and parents often have questions about the latter.  When students are deferred it means that their applications are put into the Regular Decision pool. In essence, the college is going to make final decisions on these applications after they compare them to the rest of the applicant pool.  This is by no means a negative response; it simply signifies that the admission officers would like to see the students’ current and future grades.  Being deferred is very common, and students should take it as a good sign that colleges are at least somewhat interested in them.

If I get accepted to my Early Action colleges in December, but won’t hear from my other schools until April, I am worried that I will be forced to make a decision of where to enroll before I know all my options. When do I have to make a final decision?

Most colleges and universities have an enrollment deadline of May 1st. This means that you must let them know of your decision to enroll and you must send in a deposit to hold your place by that date. While some schools may offer the opportunity to place your deposit earlier, in most cases (except for binding Early Decision programs) you will have until May 1st to make your final decision.

If a college notifies me that they are missing my SAT/ACT scores, transcript, or recommendations, does it hurt my chances if those items do not get there before the deadline?

Don’t panic.  With information coming from so many different sources at different times it may take time for the colleges to process the information.  Colleges understand that there are numerous components to make a file complete.  Most schools create a file for each applicant—and simply keep adding to it until it is complete. Generally, colleges require that the application (forms, supplements, essays, etc.) be submitted by the deadline, but they understand that items such as SAT scores, recommendations, and transcripts may take longer to arrive. Colleges do not penalize students for this in any way; they simply notify the student of what is still missing and wait to review the file until it is complete.  That being said, always remember to check in with the appropriate source to confirm that transcripts and recommendations have been sent.