Four Truths about Admissions Decisions
Eight years ago (yikes, I’m getting old) I was in the midst of receiving my admissions decisions. The old fashioned way. In the mail. If you think refreshing a web page is the end of days when it comes to anxiety and impatience, imagine waiting for the once-daily arrival of a kindly gentleman in a Jeep who seems to be in no rush at all. On top of that, there was no email that said, “Hey, your decision’s ready!” which meant basically any day in late February or the entire month of March was fair game. Except Sundays and federal holidays. What a nightmare.
Eight years ago, the news was mixed: some happy, some sad, some confusing (what does a wait list really mean? – I’ll blog about that later). I was denied by some of my “dream” colleges and, coming from the generation of “everyone-gets-a-trophy,” it felt just terrible. While there are many things worse than not getting into one of your favorite colleges, early experiences with disappointment are still hard.
Eight years ago, I lacked the wisdom of age (little known fact: worldly-all-knowingness kicks in in your mid 20s) to really understand what it meant. Now, I’m not only older but also work in admissions so I’m just brimming with wisdom. Here are a few truths (that I didn’t grasp) to think over on the cusp of regular decision release:
- An admissions decision is not an appraisal of your worth as a person. It is the subjective evaluation of many disparate credentials, as assessed by the eyes of a human staff, in a specific moment in time, in the context of a single institution of higher education. We absolutely lack the authority to invalidate (or validate, really) you as a human.
- If you get bad news, it doesn’t mean no one wanted to admit you. For every student who doesn’t make it through committee, there are a handful of admissions officers who were sad to see them go. Someone was rooting for you.
- Decisions in either direction are not made on a single fact. For example, test scores on their own are never enough grounds upon which to admit or deny a student. Decisions depend on how all the pieces fit together.
- You can be happy – or so Snow Patrol tells me. The notion of a single perfect college for any one person is a fallacy. If you were thoughtful in your list, you’ll be happy where you land. Be proud of the admit letters you receive, and start getting excited. You’re on the way to a great four years.
Even with all of this in mind, it’s ok to be sad from time to time. Our applicant pool this year was an embarrassment of riches, a burden/blessing that resulted in many tough decisions. But know there will be happy news, too, and the colleges that admit you are really excited about you. Like, REALLY excited. This is basically us when decisions go out and baby Jumbos start to enroll:
No matter where you land, congratulations on making it through. We were lucky to have you in our process.