What To Do When You're Accepted, Deferred, & Denied
December 15, 2018
Dear friends,
What an exciting, and truth be told, anxious time of year. Whether you’re a senior hearing back from EA/ED this week, a junior in the thick of SAT/ACT work, or an underclassman just finding your stride, we’ve listed below some important steps you can take to make the most of your time right now.
Needless to say, we’re in yet another year of record selectivity in admissions. My special congratulations to our seniors who’ve been accepted Early, including to such elusive places as Yale and Stanford. Bravo. We’ve included a brief note below with suggestions to maximize your time between now and college beginning.
If you were denied or deferred, it’s important to note that there is absolutely no shame in that. We are merely at a first step—numerous opportunities await you. This time of year I’m reminded of a brilliant young man with whom we worked three years ago. He worked his tail off to be a great candidate, carefully chose Brown (8% acceptance rate) as his top choice and put in an ED application. Unfortunately, that application didn’t work out. For his Regular list, sure he included safeties, but also kept his reaches, including Stanford (4% acceptance). Guess where he is thriving now? Stanford.
An interesting analogy from my writing life: I’ve published eight short pieces in literary journals. Two have been cited as Notable Essays in Best American Essays. How many times have I submitted those pieces? Over 350. Bonus points for anyone who can figure out how many rejections that is.
For our juniors and sophomores taking notes, we’ve included recommendations below about what to make of PSAT scores (released this week), including potential qualification for National Merit Scholars. Alongside Academics and Testing, we hope sophomores and juniors especially are thinking about how their character stories are progressing as well.
Of course, if you’d like to discuss any scenario in detail, I’m happy to talk.
Hafeez Lakhani
Regular Decision crunch time: Here’s to finishing strong
Whether you are applying Regular after first applying Early, or perhaps getting to the college process late, here are some tips to be uber productive these next two weeks:
Finalize your list: Roughly twelve schools is appropriate, depending on the amount of risk you are comfortable with. Be sure to pay adequate attention to all parts of your list, including reaches, moderates and safeties.
Request recommendations: If this is not done yet, do it immediately. We normally recommend giving recommenders at least four weeks to write a letter. We are 2.5 weeks to deadlines, so you’ll have to move quickly if you are behind. If you are able, craft a bio and resume to present to each recommender, so he or she can learn more about you, what interests you about college, and a glimpse at what your application will look like. In that bio, also mention two or three sentences about your most memorable experience working with that teacher/advisor. I also encourage one recommendation from a non-academic advisor who has seen you work at your best. This can be an athletic coach, a debate advisor, an art mentor, or a leader in your religious community.
Get busy writing:
Beyond the biographical elements, the key application pieces include:
Activities and Honors lists, including brief descriptions of your role in each activity
Common App essay
Supplements
The holidays are a perfect time for self-reflection—and also action. Remember what Hemingway said: Every writer should burn his first novel. In other words, spend the time writing and re-writing so you can "excavate" the true gems from your experiences. If you’d like some guidance—be it drafting from the blank page or taking something from good to great—one of our coaches can guide you through this process.
Resources:
New York Times: How To Write A Good College Application Essay
Lakhani Coaching's Philosophy on College Essays
Palm Beach Hometown News: College Admissions Expert Offers Tips for Applicants
Sophomores and Juniors: PSAT scores as a moment for growth
Our clients know I love the analogy of thinking about standardized testing as a skill. If I’m a decent athlete but have never had a chance to really play tennis, could I study all night tonight and be a great tennis player tomorrow? Of course not. If I played tennis for the first time and had a humbling day out, does that mean I’m doomed? No. I just have work ahead of me. If I played for the first time and I was a natural, does that mean my work is done? Certainly not. But this depends on one’s ambition, and one’s work ethic.
Approaching problem solving ability as a skill that can be improved upon has helped us elevate student SAT scores by as many as 600 points and ACT scores by as many as 12 points. With PSAT results just released, impacting National Merit Scholarship consideration for Juniors, it's important to craft a structured plan around a student's unique capabilities and ambitions.
Our recommendations after PSAT results:
Take a deep breath: This is just a diagnostic. Which means there’s opportunity for improvement. Don’t rush into practice tests. They are finite and will serve you better later. If I’m setting out on a long term plan to become a great tennis player, do I want to enter tournaments right away? I’d probably be better off working with a coach first to focus on specific skills, then enter tournaments once I’m seeing some traction. In the case of SAT, beware especially of using up the eight official practice tests too early.
Commit to practice, practice practice: First, craft a specific plan for both instruction and homework. If I’m working with that tennis pro twice a week for two hours each, does that mean I do nothing between the meetings? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to hit some balls on my own too?
Be strategic with your preparation: Standardized tests are difficult in part because you are not only solving difficult problems but you are doing so under strict time constraints. Early in coaching, it’s important to separate these challenges. Focus on accuracy first. Build the muscles. Then we will phase in time as we approach returning to practice tests.
For Juniors wondering about National Merit qualifying scores, NMSC uses Selection Index scores (calculated by 2 x Reading, Writing and Language + Math) to determine 50,000 high-scoring participants who qualify for recognition. We’ll know exact numbers for the semi-finalist round next September—these vary by state with 221-223 being recent cutoffs in states like New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The bar is high but if your PSAT coincided with finding your stride in SAT growth then you may very well have a shot.
Resources:
Lakhani Coaching's Philosophy on Standardized Testing
You’ve been accepted ED or EA. Now what?
Again, a special congratulations to these students—you are living examples of hard work paying off. Now I encourage you to take a breath, decompress, and enjoy your success. Spend some time with your family (from whom you’ll be living apart very soon). Enjoy some time with your friends.
Then, when you are ready, start to think about how your journey is just beginning. Taking advantage of everything your future college has to offer isn’t easy, and navigating the web of academic and social opportunities can feel overwhelming. But with the right mindset, you’ll be equipped to get the most out of your college experience. Some suggestions:
Start building your community: I always say that 90% of my education at Yale came from my peers. Many of these relationships will last a lifetime. You can begin making these connections now by taking advantage of any pre-orientation programs and by revisiting your campus if possible (spring revisits, after RD applicants are admitted, are a lot of fun). There are commonly facebook groups for a new class at each school, too. Otherwise, many colleges offer opportunities for getting in touch with accepted students in your area—like a gathering by a local alumni club. We highly encourage attending these.
Map out your first-year academic strategy: You will shortly be given access to the academic catalog at your college. Do your best to identify courses you’d like to explore your first year. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the registration process for classes as freshmen might not always get priority for high demand courses.
Identify and engage with extracurricular communities: Now is a good time to review the student organizations on campus. If there’s any that excite you, feel free to reach out to current members to learn more. Many will be happy to share their passions with you!
We love it when students hit the ground running at the start of freshman year. If, academically, any particular course stresses you, we do offer continued coaching for college subjects—organic chemistry, for instance, or a tough Economics course. Feel free to reach out to learn more.
Crain’s New York
We are pleased to share that Crain’s New York business profiled our founder, Hafeez Lakhani, this fall.