One of the most difficult things in the college admissions process is waiting for answers. You have submitted your application and now have to wait for the process to unfold. Sometimes this can take several months, depending on when you apply. So what are you supposed to do during this time?
If you have applied at every school you are interested in, the best thing you can do is develop a strategy and some contingency plans. Decide which school you will attend if you are rejected from your first choice, accepted to a school you weren’t previously considering, and so on. This way, you will be able to immediately move forward with the rest of the college process.
When the time nears for hearing the news, you will no doubt be looking out for the mailman. The general conception of most high school students is that big envelopes are good and small, thin envelopes are bad. The idea is that if you get in, the school will send you an acceptance letter filled information that needs to be filled out. This could include housing information and financial information among other things and would take a large, thick envelope. If you do not get in, the only thing that is needed is a one-page letter telling you that you have been rejected, requiring only a small, thin envelope. This is usually the case, but not always. Some top universities will send out a one-page letter saying ‘you’re in.’ They will then send the rest of the information later in a different envelope. The important thing is to not base everything on the size of your envelope. Just take a deep a breath and read the letter. You might find a good surprise.
Hopefully, if you’ve spent time on your applications, will be accepted to many of the schools to which you’ve applied. You will probably hope to get in every school and dread not getting into any. The reality will most likely fall somewhere in the middle. So the best thing you can do is keep a positive attitude, plan for things not going perfectly, and of course, keep watching for the mailman.