As a student, you're probably familiar with the experience of working hard to do well on a difficult exam. You know, the studying hard the night (or weeks) before, the agony of the test itself, the relief when it's over. You may even look at the college admissions process as another sort of exam, where you fill out your part and then wait an inordinately long period of time before you get back your "grade."
Well, this morning I was brushing my teeth and reflecting that, if I think of the admissions process as an exam from the perspective of the admissions office, we're at the point where we're almost done with the test. We've put in all the extra hours and late nights studying (reading applications), we've answered most of the questions (talked about each application in committee), and we just have a few more to go before we fit in as much checking and double-checking of our work as we can before our time runs out. The pressure has begun to lift, but the euphoria won't really set in until we hand in our paper (mail out decisions). Afterwards, we'll be pretty excited, but will still have to wait to find out our score (see if we met our enrollment targets). If we don't do as well as we'd like, we're lucky enough to have the opportunity to redo some of our answers (take people off the waitlist) to get a better grade.
It's all a bit more complicated than that, of course, but hopefully that gives you a sense of where we're at in the admissions process and how it feels like from this end of things. I, for one, am very excited to no longer have dangerously high stacks of applications waiting for my attention, but I know it's not quite time to run around shouting "Free, free, free at last!" Or, um, I mean, move on to other important admissions-related tasks.
Read more entries in
{ Responses To This Entry }
Does the Admissions office have a party when decisions go out? Or some kind of tradition (a la running around giggling and screams)? Can we see pictures of this imagined (but hopefully real) event when it happens?
Posted by: Lillie on March 10, 2009 1:10 PM
Well, since this is my first year, I can't share any first-hand knowledge of any celebrations that ensue, but "Wave to the truck" is on our schedule. I'll see what I can do about the pictures..
Posted by: Elizabeth on March 10, 2009 1:35 PM
Hi Ms.Houston. I heard from Mr.Grim that your target notification date was March 17th, and that it was likely to be moved 'back and forth' according to your selection progress. Do you have a sense of the exact date? Possibly this week? Thanks!
Posted by: Yi on March 11, 2009 10:09 AM
Would you like celebratory baked goods? Possibly celebratory Decafe yogurt pretzels?
Posted by: Aries on March 11, 2009 2:58 PM
Yi--If you've been talking to Chuck Grim, then you're probably interested in the decisions for international students, which do mail sooner than the decisions for domestic applicants. I don't think the date has been moved up, so continue to expect your notification around the 17th. For any US students reading this, don't get too excited--your letters will be mailed about a week later.
Aries--Celebratory baked goods are always in order!
Posted by: Elizabeth on March 13, 2009 8:44 AM
A Chinese girl has been notified by email of her admission by Oberlin College of Arts and Science in the morning of Feb. 12. I don't think she's telling any lie. But some guy called AO soon after the girl posted a thread of her acceptance, an AO told him no one has been admitted in the RD round. So.. Could you please tell us what the truth is?
Posted by: Boo on March 13, 2009 9:52 AM
Hi Boo--the person who called the admissions office is correct-no regular decision letters went out in February.
Posted by: Elizabeth on March 13, 2009 11:26 AM
Thank you, E.
I'm so sorry... I mean March... March 12th...
Then...?
Posted by: Boo on March 13, 2009 11:41 AM
I checked with the person in charge in international applications, and a very small number of decisions did go out this week. However, most decisions for international applicants will go out next week, and domestic applicants can expect their decisions to be mailed the week after that.
Posted by: Elizabeth on March 13, 2009 2:40 PM
Thank you!
Posted by: Boo on March 13, 2009 10:24 PM
Do international students receive their decisions via email or "snail mail"?
Posted by: Stephanie on March 16, 2009 9:53 PM
counting on notification being available to internationals today...
Posted by: Jason on March 17, 2009 7:09 AM
Yeah, me too...What time do college decisions usually come out? =P
Posted by: Fajer on March 17, 2009 8:46 AM
Decision letters for international students and others living abroad were mailed out yesterday, and email notifications were sent as well. Domestic decision letters will be mailed via snail mail next week.
Posted by: Elizabeth on March 18, 2009 8:42 AM
I'm an international and I didn't get any email, as of thirty seconds ago. Is there a time lag? Or could it be that there are notifications that have not been sent out yet?
Posted by: Yihui on March 18, 2009 11:45 PM
{ Leave A Comment }