Winter Blues? Let’s Talk Summer Plans…

Dear Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors:

      Check out these summer programs, academies and courses. Questions? Be sure to see Mrs. Morissette, M310

Summer Study Program – multiple locations – www.summerstudy.com Penn State U., Colorado State U., Fordham U.

Marlboro College – Summer Pre-College 2015 marlboro.edu/summer

Babson College: Summer Study for High School Students: Entrepreneur Development Experience www.babson.edu/summerstudy

Vocation of Priesthood? U. Of Notre Dame Summer Seminary Immersion Program precollege.nd.edu/seminaryimmersion

Washington U in St. Louis Summer Experiences summerexperiences.wustl.edu

Stanford U Pre-Collegiate Studies precollegiate.stanford.edu

Summer Institute for the Gifted – multiple locations – giftedstudy.org/teachers

Cornell U Summer College – summercollege.cornell.edu

The College of New Jersey Pre-College Program – precollege.pages.tcnj.edu

The U of Rhode Summer Engineering Academy – egr.uri.edu/summer

Ignite @ Marquette U – www.marquette.edu/explore

U of Notre Dame Summer Scholars – precollege.nd.edu

U of Notre Dame Leadership Seminars – precollege.nd.edu

What to Do if You're Wait-Listed

Boost Your Chances of Getting In

You’ve sent in your applications. Now you’re waiting for a letter from each college you applied to, either offering you admission or turning down your application. And there’s another possibility: a college may put you on a waiting list.

This can happen when you meet the admission requirements, but the college has already accepted the number of applicants it has room for. If a spot becomes available later on, you may be offered a place.

The college won’t make you this offer, though, until after the May 1 decision deadline has passed. If you’re on the waiting list, it’s hard to know what your chances of acceptance are.

If you get wait-listed by one of your top choices, let admission officers know why you're a great fit for their college.

Decide Whether to Stay on the List

Your next step is to respond and let the college know whether or not you want to stay on the waiting list. It makes sense to keep your spot on the list only if you’re really interested in going to the college.

Before you decide, find out whether there are any conditions attached to being wait-listed. For example, since you’re notified later than other applicants, you may have fewer housing and financial aid options.

Even if you decide to remain on the waiting list, prepare to attend another college. Choose the best fit from the colleges that accepted you, fill out the paperwork and send a deposit. You’ll forfeit this deposit if the college that wait-listed you offers you a place and you accept. Still, you need to be sure you have a place in an incoming freshman class next fall.

Take Control

If you decide to stay on the waiting list, be proactive. Here’s what you can do to boost your chances of being accepted.

Get a sense of your chances of admission. Contact the admission office to find out if the college ranks wait-listed students or if it has a priority list. Most are willing to let you know your status. The higher you rank on the list the better your chances of being accepted.

Write a letter to the admission office. The college has already decided that you have the academic credentials for admittance. Now’s the time to mention any additional nonacademic factors that might help your case — any new achievements or supplemental information. Emphasize your strong desire to attend the college and make a case for why you're a good fit. You can tell them that you'll enroll if they accept you, but only if you're absolutely certain you will.

Study hard. This is no time to slack off. If you're wait-listed, you may be reevaluated based on your third- and fourth-quarter grades.

Stay involved. Show admission officers you're committed to sports, clubs and other activities.

Request another (or a first) interview. An interview can give you a personal contact — someone who can check on the status of your application. You can also enlist the help of your high school counselor or someone you know who graduated from that college.

Realize that you've already achieved something. You were wait-listed, not turned away. Many students were not as successful.

Reconsider the colleges that accepted you.  If you would be just as happy at one of your other choices, send in a deposit and plan to attend that college. Then turn down the spot on the waiting list. You'll be surprised how much better you feel after your decision has been made.

The Waiting Game - College Decisions

Check out this great blog post originally featured last year called The Waiting Game. The college counseling team loves these quick tips and insights! 

The Waiting Game

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Susanna

By: Mia Myklebust

     Many high school Seniors have completed their college applications (don’t stress if you haven’t there’s still time!) and are now playing what we like to call “The Waiting Game.” This is the time period between when students apply to and hear from colleges. At first it can be a relief to finish all your applications, but soon waiting to hear back can become nerve wracking. Many high school Seniors have found themselves waiting for the mailman every afternoon hoping that the fat envelope will come. Our best advice: don’t be that kid. If you’re stressed out try to focus on other things to get you through.

     Stay busy- If you keep yourself occupied you won’t have time to worry about whether or not your letter has come yet. If you play a sport or are in a club give it your full attention. If you don’t, come up with an out of school activity to occupy your time. This could be a great time to do some Independent Research or Volunteer. Which brings us to our second point.

     Update colleges on your accomplishments- If you have had any notable achievement since you submitted your applications, make sure to let your colleges know. Any new awards or honors can help your apps stand out, plus contacting admissions officers will keep your name fresh in their minds. Make sure you are only reporting new awards, don’t repeat anything that you have already included on your applications. Email or call the admissions rep designated to your area to inform them of your recent accomplishments. 

     Keep your grades high- This is an often overlooked, but critical part of your applications. If a college is on the fence about you, they may ask for your first semester grades to help them decide whether to admit you. You want to be able to hand over a stellar report card, not the evidence of your Senioritis. It is even possible for a college to rescind an acceptance if your Senior year grades aren’t up to par, so, study on!

     If you’re really feeling the pressure while waiting to hear back from your colleges, try some of our Stress Busting Tips. Also, don’t forget to record the status of each of your applications as you receive them on the Applications page of CollegeMapper. On this page you can mark whether you were accepted, deferred or declined and how much financial aid support you got from each of your schools. Good luck and yay, college!

Mrs. Sarah Morissette, M. Ed.