Navigating the Wait List

Not all application decisions rendered by colleges fall neatly into the categories of “accepted” or “denied.” The third, often more emotionally challenging result, is the wait list or waiting list. The chances of getting off the wait list are slim on a national (US) average, but there are several things to understand and then to do, which we hope to illuminate here.

First, what is the wait list? In as simple a definition as possible, the wait list is a pool of applicants to whom the admission office has not granted outright admission but whom they might still consider if they have space once all deposits are counted.

Why do colleges use wait lists? Simply put, the admissions practices at colleges and universities in the US are driven predominantly by the need to fill a specific number of beds, their enrollment target. In order to do this, colleges focus on yield, which is the number of students who were admitted who actually attend, and the wait list protects yield. To explain further, let’s consider a simplified example of a college that is looking to fill 1000 beds in the freshman class. Some individual way up the leadership hierarchy of the admissions team is responsible for constructing a yield model that predicts yield. This is an enormously complicated calculus that we will not try to explain here, but suffice it to say that predicting the behavior of adolescents is tricky. However, let’s say that this college anticipates a 50% yield, which is to say that half of all admitted students will deposit and enroll. If they are looking to fill 1000 beds, then the logic would suggest that they admit 2000 students at that 50% yield to result in filling those 1000 beds. However, given the imprecise nature of yield predictions, colleges would rather avoid being over (and have too many students to fill their limited beds) and consequently typically pursue being under. In our overly simplified example, the admissions team might aim to admit 900 students by admitting 1800 instead. In this model, this college would then go to the wait list to creep toward their enrollment target of 1000 beds.

How do colleges use the wait list? As with most of the information here, the specific details of practice at individual colleges vary, but the general ideas are roughly accurate across the board. In regards to this question, most colleges release decisions by April 1 and expect students to deposit at one (and only one) college by May 1. As such, as deposits and refusals (those students who have made the decision to enroll or not, respectively) come in, colleges begin looking at their wait list pool. For example, if there are a disproportionate number of women in their enrolling pool, then they might start looking at men from the waitlist. If there is not enough diversity, then they might start looking at those factors. If they need more athletes, artists, business majors, etc… At some point, usually after May 1, colleges will then either release all students from the wait list because they reached their targeted enrollment (essentially denying all remaining students on the wait list), or they will start making offers to wait-listed applicants. If we consider the example from the previous question, they will look to fill those 100 beds, but they will do so based on their institutional needs based on the demographics and composition of those students who have already deposited. So, in considering this, the wait list is not really a list at all, with students all receiving a rank or number; instead, it is a pool from which they will look to sculpt their incoming class.

What can I do to get admitted off the wait list? There is no sure-fire way to guarantee admission off of the wait list — remember that the overall chances of getting off the wait list are small! — but there are things that students can do to make sure that if a college is going to the wait list, that they are considered.

1. Focus first on where you were admitted. Make a plan to accept one of the offers of admission from the schools to which you were admitted and to make a deposit before May 1. That is most important. Do not overly focus attention on the wait list.

2. Determine whether you would like to accept offers to remain on the wait list. Once you have chosen where you will deposit, you need to ask whether you would definitely attend the school whose wait list you have been offered. If you cannot say definitively that you would attend, then it does not make sense to accept the spot on the wait list. In this case, decline the wait list offers and move on with the places where you have been admitted or other wait list offers.

3. Carefully consider what is asked of you to remain on the wait list. Posts like this are somewhat dangerous in that we are providing an overview of what might be asked of you, whereas the actual expectations of a college (which change year-to-year) are articulated carefully to the student directly. Strictly follow the instructions the schools provide!

4. Demonstrating Continued Interest. Most colleges will ask wait-listed students to somehow demonstrate their continued interest in their school. Ultimately, these instructions tend to be very specific. Keep in mind that the admissions team at all colleges is focusing on yielding students throughout April; they are not ignoring wait-listed students per se, but the wait list is not their top priority, so the trick is to articulate your desire to be admitted and to follow the instructions provided while not coming across as pushy, aggressive, or annoying. This is a slippery slope, but it is most easily navigated if the student has effectively engaged in establishing a relationship with the admissions officer previously! That said, in most cases, colleges will provide instructions on how to demonstrate continued interest, which usually is through an additional letter to be uploaded to a portal or sent to a particular person or institutional email address. Sometimes specific prompts are provided for students to respond to, but often there is no structure. In this latter case, we recommend students consider the following for inclusion in their letter:

   1. What has changed in your life since time of application? Interests, activities, family life, etc.

   2. Are there any updates to share? Accolades, performances, awards?

   3. What has continued to resonate with you about this college? Programs, majors, professors, specific courses, etc.

   4. How have you remained the same? Grades, activities, etc?

   5. Tell them that if admitted, you would 100% attend. (If you cannot say this, with the exception of financial aid packages, then do not remain on the wait list.)

5. Work with your college or guidance counselor. Finally, your college counselor can be helpful to you throughout the wait list process. They can be helpful in brainstorming and proofing letters and emails, but they can also provide additional advocacy whenever possible.

What does the timing look like here? We continue to share new ways in which the college landscape has changed. The wait list is one notable example of this. Until recently, colleges, by and large, never went to the wait list until after May 1, the date by which admitted students must deposit. Until that date, they would not know for sure how many wait list spots they must fill. However, over the last several years, colleges started going to the wait list prior to May 1, with the hope that if they were to beat their competitors to a particular wait-listed student, then they would have a better chance at yielding. (One college with whom I spoke recently shared that on May 1, they have to make 4 calls to yield one student off the wait list while on July 1, they have to make 25 calls to yield 1.) However, this trend has accelerated and last year, we saw some of the most selective institutions on the planet go to the wait list well before May 1. As such, it is our firm recommendation to complete all expectations to remain on the wait list as soon as possible. While previously we would have recommended to get the work done by May 1, we are now recommending that students work to accept or deny spaces and then to submit any requested materials as close to April 1 as possible.

What happens if I do get admitted off the wait list? If a student deposits at one college and then gets offered an acceptance off the wait list at another institution, the timing of the offer determines the process. If the wait list acceptance is offered prior to May 1, then the student must notify the institution to which he or she initially deposited of his or her intention to accept a spot at the other college; typically the initial deposit would be refunded. Then the student may deposit at the new college. However, if the wait list offer is made after May 1, the same process applies, but the initial deposit (typically) is nonrefundable.

What if I get multiple wait list admission offers? Implicit within this question is one about choosing to remain on multiple wait lists. We do not take issue with a student remaining on several wait lists so long as the student would accept an offer of admission to each of them over the college to which he or she has deposited. If a student remains on multiple wait lists and is offered admission from one, we ask that he or she reconsider their decision to remain on the still-pending wait lists. For example, if a student is wait-listed at 5 colleges (not outside the realm of possibility), remains on all of them, and is offered admission to her third favorite place (#3), then we would ask that she then remove herself from the wait list at colleges #4 and #5 given that, logically, she would not ever accept the offer of admission over #3. Things can get tricky if multiple wait list admission offers arrive simultaneously, but we would ask the student to communicate with his/her college counselor to navigate the process.

Transitioning to College: Finances

When students leave the comforts of their own homes and move on to the independence of college, one of the topics that frequently falls through the cracks — according to many students — is financial responsibility. Often university is the first time a student has ever had to create and live by a budget, think about financial planning, and be aware of the implications of their spending. This topic is one that could occupy a far greater space within the panoply of college transition, but for now, we encourage all seniors and their parents to consider this question:

What will you do about managing your money while in college?

Here are several additional questions and points to consider:

• Will you have a budget and/or allowance?

• Where will “pocket money” come from? What expenses will come from pocket money? What will parents provide?

  • For example, who will pay for transportation to and from school? Textbooks and school supplies? Holidays if not coming home?

  • Do you know how to use an ATM card? Do you know what to do with a paper check?

    • True Story: A college student recently shared, “I know how to take money OUT of the ATM. How do I deposit money INTO the bank? What do I do with a check?”

  • How will you fill up your cash card/ATM for meals, laundry, books, etc?

• Will you get an on- or off-campus job?

• Will you get a job over the summers to earn your own money?

• Will you use a bank local to your home or will you open an account in your host area/country? In whose name will the account be? Will parents have access to it? Is there online banking? When will you set up these accounts?

• Alumni Advice: Recent alums strongly recommend a local bank in the host country! Get there early, they say, and open up your own account! (Be sure to check with your university about any special deals or recommendations about which banks to use. They often have special arrangements with local banks, particularly the ones that provide the ATMs on campus!)  

• Will you have access to a credit card? Will you get it at home or in the host area/country?

• Will parents monitor bank statements?

• How will you track expenses? Consider an app such as Mint!

• Do you know how to use Venmo and PayPal?

• If you are on financial aid, consider the following:

  • Work study: US schools will typically include work-study as part of a financial aid package, a part that you can choose to decline or accept.

  • Will you pay against the principal of a loan while in college?

• Keep in mind that you will be friends with individuals from across the socioeconomic spectrum. You may have friends who struggle to find money to eat every meal. Do not expect all students to be able to fly around the world during spring break. Be considerate talking about finances around others.

  • Also, keep in mind that not everyone will have eaten in a fancy restaurant. Not everyone has experience flying in planes.

  • How will you divide up paying joint bills with others? Who puts their name down on the utility bill or the rental lease, if you live off campus?

This piece is part of a series on “transitioning to college.” We encourage graduating seniors and their parents or guardians to engage in discussion on a weekly basis about these topics. If you have feedback or additional ideas or perspectives to share, please let us know so we can incorporate your thoughts into revisions of our posts.

Transitioning to College: Cooking & Eating

As students prepare to leave their routines and their parents’ homes, one of the most comforting and grounding elements of transitioning to a new environment that we need get them to consider is food! Moving to a new location can be an alienating and challenging experience for anyone, but having some plans in place to address this one simple element of comfort can go a long way, according to so many of our alums. Additionally, there are some life skills buried in this consideration about cooking and fending for oneself. Ultimately, we want you to consider this question this week:

What are your plans surrounding eating and preparing food yourself?

Here are several additional questions and points to consider:

• What are the options for campus meal plans? If you get the full (maximum) campus meal plan, how many meals per week are there? Is that sufficient for you? (You may have to wait to know where you are going to learn this information and/or wait until they share this information with you. If you don’t know your final destination yet, choose a favorite school and familiarize yourself with the meal plan options!)

• Can you use your meal plan at local restaurants/eateries off-campus?

• Will alternative eating options come from pocket money? Who will pay for those?

• Have you explored what food options are available off-campus? Your favorite snack? Cuisine from home? Delivery?

• Do you know if your dormitory will have a communal kitchen or kitchenette? Are there otherwise places where you could cook for yourself?

• Do you know the difference between induction, gas, and electric ranges/ovens? If not, learn now!

• Do you know how to make simple meals? Choose 3 simple meals to master and work with your parents to learn. (Here are some suggestions!)

• Do you understand the basics of healthy eating? Of a well-balanced diet? (See this resource from the British Nutrition Foundation.)

• Are you allowed to have a rice cooker, steamer, or kettle in your dorm room? Refrigerator? Is any of this provided?

• Remember to still get exercise! (Read this piece on avoiding the “freshman 15”!)

This piece is part of a series on “transitioning to college.” We encourage graduating seniors and their parents or guardians to engage in discussion on a weekly basis about these topics. If you have feedback or additional ideas or perspectives to share, please let us know so we can incorporate your thoughts into revisions of our posts.

Things to Know about Depositing at a College

With many college acceptances coming through and many more on their way, now is a great time to review the practice of depositing at a college. In its simplest possible form, students may send in a deposit to only one college or university by the designated deadline. In the United States, that date is May 1 each year, the National Candidates’ Reply Date. The one exception to this rule about sending only one enrollment deposit is when students are admitted off of a waitlist at another college;  these students may submit a second deposit but must notify the initial college and forgo their deposit to that institution.

If you have any questions about this process whatsoever, please consult with your college or guidance counselor!

The thing to understand is that your school counselor can only send a final transcript — the final piece of the application to a US college — to one institution (with the exception of waitlist acceptances), so be sure to know what the protocol and expectations are.

First, some vocabulary… A deposit is a nonrefundable sum of money required by a college for an admitted student to reserve his or her place at the college; in essence, the deposit signifies the student’s intention to enroll at that institution.  In the US, the deposit is typically US$200-$800, while they tend to be more expensive elsewhere (e.g. in Hong Kong, one student was asked for a US$3500 deposit).

To double-deposit is to submit deposits to more than one institution. This is an unethical practice considering a student would be indicating to two or more different colleges that he or she intends on enrolling there when he or she can only attend one. To be clear, though it is debatable whether a student could be “caught” double-depositing and in any way held accountable (and there are certainly those who do not see the practice as unethical), most high schools see a firm obligation to uphold the principles of the issue. Upon applying (see below), applicants are asked to agree not to double deposit, and colleges reserve the right to rescind offers to students caught double-depositing. Additionally, failing to respect this practice can hurt schools’ working relationships with specific colleges and universities. Finally, with the exception of schools where a student is admitted off the waitlist, school-based counselors can and will submit a student’s final transcript to only one college or university after graduation.

Here is the statement that students must agree to on the Common Application, though other applications typically include some similar language:

I affirm that I will send an enrollment deposit (or equivalent) to only one institution; sending multiple deposits (or equivalent) may result in the withdrawal of my admission offers from all institutions. [Note: students may send an enrollment deposit (or equivalent) to a second institution where they have been admitted from the waitlist, provided that they inform the first institution that they will no longer be enrolling.]

It is our experience that some colleges, particularly large residential universities in the US, may ask for a housing deposit ahead of the May 1 deadline to reserve a space in campus housing. Students may choose to submit these deposits independently of their decision to submit an enrollment deposit, and such housing deposits should be refundable. Be sure to read the expectations carefully!

One additional complication, in our experience, is when a student is navigating acceptances across international boundaries where the notification and/or deposit deadlines do not align. Generally, students should seek guidance from their school-based counselors to ensure that they are proceeding ethically, but it is quite common for school-based counselors to recommend that students stick to just one deposit at a time.

Overall, in closing, it should be reiterated that if you have specific questions pertaining to this part of the process, please be in touch with your school-based college or guidance counselor.

Transitioning to College: Transportation

As students make the transition from their familiar environs and homes to other locales around the globe, there are a number of points to consider in regards to how a college student gets around. We will discuss the concept of traveling to college and of the the initial drop-off at college in other posts, so this space is designated just for the logistics of transportation. More generally, the question we hope for seniors and their parents to discuss is as follows:

What are the expectations and parameters around transportation while at university?

Here are several additional questions and points to consider:

• What are the available means of transportation around your college campus? (Given that this discussion may take place prior to knowing the final destination, be sure to come back to this question later, but explore the following nonetheless.)

• What are acceptable methods of transportation, including taxis, Ubers (or the equivalent), trains, subways, busses, etc?

  • Taxis, Ubers, and municipal (city-run) public transportation are usually more expensive in the US than elsewhere, but university-run shuttle/bus services (probably more common or at least more comprehensive at large universities?) are often inexpensive or free (or included already in student fees).

  • Additionally, public transportation can elicit culture shock in some parts of the world, where subways, trains, and busses are less reliable and less clean in comparison to much of Asia, for example. In the US, in particular, travel by car is far more common.

• What are your thoughts and expectations about getting into vehicles with other students? Their parents? Relatives? In what circumstances would these be acceptable or not?

• Does your college provide shuttle services?

• How do you plan to get to and from the airport?

• Do you plan to get a driver’s license? Have you explored getting one in your home country or in your destination country? (Keep in mind some places are easier than others, and some countries have reciprocity agreements where foreign licenses are accepted while others do not.)

• Do you plan to have a vehicle at college? Have you discussed the possibility of using a ZipCar? Are freshmen allowed to have cars? Where would you park your car?

• Keep in mind that not all countries drive on the right-hand side!

• Don’t ever get into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking alcohol. Ever.

This piece is part of a series on “transitioning to college.” We encourage graduating seniors and their parents or guardians to engage in discussion on a weekly basis about these topics. If you have feedback or additional ideas or perspectives to share, please let us know so we can incorporate your thoughts into revisions of our posts.

Four Components to Parenting Seniors in March and April

As with each new phase of the college application process throughout the senior year, the months of March and April present a unique set of challenges for students and parents alike. As students -- by and large -- wait for, receive, and then reconcile various college application results -- the good and the not so good -- parents are awash with emotions. Ultimately, we preach continuing to be a great role model for your child, but, as the parameters and variables have changed, here are four recommendations to steer the ship!

• Take care of yourself. Take care of your emotions and your feelings appropriately. Read this article. Your child’s admissions outcomes are not a reflection of you or your parenting. And, to put a finer point on it, admission into a highly selective or highly ranked college or university does not reflect on you positively or negatively or promise a brighter, happier, more successful future for your child. Remember that college -- as with most things in life -- is what you make of it. Have your thinking straight on this front.

• Honor your child. Remember that he or she is a lot more resilient than you might give credit for. They can handle this. It is not always easy, but let them learn from the experiences. Don’t steal from them this invaluable learning opportunity, and keep in mind, whether things are going well or not, that allowing your child to learn these lessons now will set them up for success in handling other challenges later in life.

• Act like you’ve been here before. This is advice for acting with grace and class through this process. This may be your first time through this, but what your child needs is a role model showing how to behave. They do not need examples of people letting their emotions get the best of them. There is no merit or value in trumpeting or bragging about your child’s college outcomes just as there is no benefit to jumping into the pit of despair with them when confronting denied applications. Yes, celebrate within reason, and, yes, be a shoulder to cry on, but avoid the extreme highs and lows and move on. Show your child through your conduct that, regardless of outcome, this is just one more step in life and not the singular, defining moment or their existence.

• Demonstrate radical acceptance. One of the most challenging scenarios that we encounter is when students and parents focus too much on denied and waitlisted applications and not enough on the acceptances. As our colleague puts it aptly, “Colleges make decisions, not mistakes.” There is likely nothing that anyone will be able to share about a “miss” that will be helpful or productive. Dwelling on what did not go well also has an enormously negative impact on your child. Instead, direct your attention on the positive acceptances, always with an eye on moving forward. Demonstrating “radical acceptance” to your child shows them love, honors their process, de-emphasizes the sense that this is the most important moment of their life, and facilitates their moving forward positively.

Realize that this guidance is not intended solely for parents of students who are facing rejection. It is aimed at all parents, regardless of their children’s college application results. Also, being a role model by embracing these four steps not only will allow your child to grow and develop, but it also contributes to combating many of the social ills that surround the college admissions process. Be a part of the solution!

Transitioning to College: Travelling to College

For so many students across the globe and especially for students enrolling in other countries, going to college means some significant travel to get to and from home. The logistics required of this is the primary focus of this post. We endeavor here to get you thinking and talking about the many elements and challenges of traveling away from home for college. We will talk later about more specifics surrounding transportation while at college, many of the challenges of being so far away from home, and the specific topic of the initial freshman drop-off. For now, we hope these topics will spur some good discussions about transition, starting with this overarching question:

What are the parameters around travel to and from university?

Here are some additional questions to consider:

• When is it expected that the student will come home? For all school vacations? What will happen over the shorter breaks where travel home is not possible?

  • For example, if going to school in the USA, where will the student spend Thanksgiving, often the first holiday break for first-year students, but, for some, maybe not a long enough break to come home and to deal with jet lag?

• Who will purchase the tickets for travel? Who will get the air miles? (If you don’t have air miles accounts, be sure to set them up!)

• What is expected of the student when back home? This can mean a lot of different things to various families, but the question is intended to initiate conversation about sleep, rest, relaxation, curfew, chores, spending time with family, etc.

• What about unplanned trips home for emergencies? What would constitute an emergency that would necessitate a trip home? It is hard sometimes to contemplate these situations, but it helps later to have anticipated some of them and to have discussed some of the logistics and process behind them.

• Parent Insight: Be aware that the school’s academic calendar (first day of classes, last day of semester) does not always align with when their flights should be made! From one recent parent, “I scheduled [my daughter’s] return flight based on her school calendar, when in reality she had to get out of the dorm earlier than that.”  

This piece is part of a series on “transitioning to college.” We encourage graduating seniors and their parents or guardians to engage in discussion on a weekly basis about these topics. If you have feedback or additional ideas or perspectives to share, please let us know so we can incorporate your thoughts into revisions of our posts.

Transitioning to College: Laundry

The topic of laundry may seem mundane and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but it is a great one for early on in the transition process because it begs a number of questions about the skills seniors have or do not have. Also, don’t be misled into thinking that you will just get the laundry service offered at many colleges! They can be expensive and inconvenient. Inevitably, there will come a time when you need do your own laundry. So, fundamentally:

Do you know how to wash and take care of your laundry? 

Here are some corollary points to consider:

• Do you know how to operate a washing machine?

• Do you know the difference between laundry detergent, bleach, fabric softener, and other products for laundry?

• Do you know how to shop for laundry care products?

• Can you properly sort your laundry?

• Do you know how to read a clothing label?

• Are you aware of any clothing you wear that requires special handling?

• What gets cold water wash? Warm or hot water wash?

• What should and what should not go into the dryer?

• Do you prefer fabric softener sheets or liquid?

• Where is the lint trap? Know how to clean it?

• Do you know what has happened when you shrink something in the laundry?

• Do you know how to hang things out to dry?

• Do you know how to fold your own laundry?

• What should get dry cleaned?

• Do you know how to wash bed sheets and blankets?

• Do you know how to wash bath towels?

• How do you hand-wash delicates?

When the final college destination is known, here are some additional points of consideration:

• Will you sign up for the laundry service?

  • How expensive is it? Is it worth your time and money?

  • When does it pick-up and drop-off? Does it do linens and bedding? Dry cleaning? Delicates?

  • Will the service provide bedding?

• Where is the nearest laundromat on-campus? Off-campus?

• Where is the nearest dry cleaner?

If you read this early enough, there will be plenty of time to learn how to take care of your own laundry! Parents, are there any other self-care skills that your child needs to learn before heading off to college?

And don’t skip the possibility of sharing this video:

This piece is part of a series on “transitioning to college.” We encourage graduating seniors and their parents or guardians to engage in discussion on a weekly basis about these topics. If you have feedback or additional ideas or perspectives to share, please let us know so we can incorporate your thoughts into revisions of our posts.

Parenting the Early Years of High School

A couple weeks ago, my team and I presented to the parents of grade 8-10 students on navigating the early years of high school. We tried some new elements, such as the “Profile Game” where parents were given a sense of the challenges of the admission process. See the slide deck here, and watch the video below!

Transitioning to College: Beginning the Conversation

This series of blog posts is intended specifically for seniors and their parents. It stems from our desire in to start our pending graduates down the path of transitioning to college, away from high school, away from their comforts, and away from home earlier in the spring. This can be a challenging time, and there are no right or wrong answers; there is no “how to” book that applies to all situations. As such, what we endeavor to do is to provide a series of questions and discussion points for seniors and their parents to examine on a weekly basis throughout the spring. We ask students and their parents to set a time each week to discuss the new topic. Some topics will be more easily navigated once a student knows where he/she is attending college, but each, we believe, is worth exploring regardless of whether the destination is known. It is our hope that these discussions will strengthen bonds and result in a more streamlined and self-aware transition. 

For our first topic, we want to start relatively simply, to start the habit of having these discussions with a relatively simple query:

Will you have a cellular phone at college?

Here are some corollary points to ponder:

• If you will not have a cell phone, how will communication occur?

• Will you purchase a new phone or use your current phone?

• Will you purchase a local phone (in your university’s country) or buy one at home and then purchase a local SIM card?

• Have you researched options yet?

• Will you keep two phones, one from home and one local to your college?

• Who will be responsible for paying the monthly bill?

• If you are buying the phone, who will be responsible for paying for it?

• What sorts of restrictions or calling, texting, data packages are you considering?

In this conversation, we have steered deliberately clear of the question of expectations surrounding how the phone might be used. That topic will come up later!

This piece is part of a series on “transitioning to college.” We encourage graduating seniors and their parents or guardians to engage in discussion on a weekly basis about these topics. If you have feedback or additional ideas or perspectives to share, please let us know so we can incorporate your thoughts into revisions of our posts.

Advice for Parents of Middle School Students

I am frequently asked to provide guidance to parents of students of all grades; however, the recent trend has been for parents of Middle School students to solicit insight and guidance. I was fortunate to have been invited by the Middle School counseling team to present back on January 24, 2019. Unfortunately, the presentation was not recorded, but I share the slide deck of the presentation here, which was entitled “The Value of Middle School.”

College Counselors often receive criticism for “starting too early” with students. I fully endorse and support this perspective, which I think one can glean from the slides, keeping in mind that they were designed specifically for parents to quell their nerves, ease any growing anxiety, and set them on the right track to support and love their children.

5 Things You Need to Know About Senior Spring

Senior Slide. Senior Slump. Senior Spring. Senior Slack. Senioritis.

"I got accepted into college. Now nothing matters."

We hope all seniors (and their parents) will take time to reflect upon our notes below and rise above the impetus to allow their efforts to wane.

1. All offers of acceptance are conditional. Although the terminology is typically reserved for application offer formats elsewhere in the world, the "conditional offer" applies to all acceptances, including those to US schools. All colleges and universities expect students to continue on with their studies in a manner consistent with that demonstrated at the time of and on their application. Drops in grades, therefore, could result in colleges rescinding their offers of admission! There is always a senior or two in each class who risks it all by allowing efforts to slacken.

2. AP and IB exams matter. In addition to those explicit terms of a conditional offer (where a student may be told he or she must achieve a certain score on an exam), AP and IB exams are important. In some cases, they can result in advanced standing (e.g. sophomore status) if your AP scores are high enough to earn credits, thereby lessening the cost of college. In other cases, these scores may be used to allow you to bypass introductory-level courses. They do matter!

3. Scholarships could be in the balance. Some students may have been awarded scholarships for demonstrating a certain level of achievement or even certain character attributes. Ceasing to meet these ideals can result in the loss of these free monies. Also, other universities will award additional scholarship money based upon achievement at graduation; if you slack off, this money will go elsewhere! (In the class of 2018, we had a student who was awarded after graduation in July a US$20K scholarship that he did not apply for when his college saw his stellar spring semester performance!)

4. Spring performance is a predictor of success. Perhaps most importantly, performance during the spring of senior year has been shown to be positively correlated with college performance. In other words, how you finish high school tends to predict how you will fare in college! This lends credence to the college practice of rescinding offers!

5. You will appreciate ending high school on a positive note. After all the hard work you have put in during high school, you will appreciate later on (if not necessarily now) knowing that you ended on a high note. How awkward it would be if you left in a manner that resulted in your feeling embarrassed about coming back to see so many people who have meant so much to you!

In the end, the message is simple: KEEP WORKING!

I originally wrote a version of this post for http://blogs.tas.edu.tw/collegecounseling/2019/01/15/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-senior-spring/on 15 January 2019.