Navigating Admissions Decisions

                It’s about that time when current undergraduate students will be receiving information regarding graduate program interviews and admissions decisions. Since each program has its own admission schedule and many of the programs require acceptance decisions over a short period of time, this can be stressful for many students. It can be difficult to put down the deposit on a definitive answer from a school while you wait for the schools that you prefer to review your application. Some schools may ask for your current semester grades, while others will admit you prior to receiving that information. Either way, you could end up with a big mess of interviews and acceptances with incredibly inconvenient timing.

                The best way to alleviate the admissions process blues is to understand the admissions processes of the various schools that you are applying to. Apply to up to six schools so that you can fully understand the admissions timelines and programs. This will also give you an advantage on the application, as well, since you will be able to put more energy into each of the individual essays for each school.

                When applying to schools, try to talk to admissions counselors to see if the school favors students from the nearby area or prefers a diverse array or regions for the program that you are applying for. Also find out the deadline for current semester grades from the school that you are applying to so that you can coordinate with your professors and records department to ensure that you do not have to be disqualified  by this deadline based on your school’s grading timeline.

                Make a timeline with all of the schools admissions processes so that you can visually understand when you will be receiving decisions from each school. This will help ease your nerves when you only hear back from a few of your schools quickly. For rolling admission schools, or schools with multiple admission pools, try to apply as early as possible without rushing through the application.

                Lastly, try to talk to current students about the program. What is it like on a day-to-day basis? What are the professors like? What is the atmosphere like at the school? Are the students competitive or collaborative? This will help you paint the big picture when it comes down to your final decision of where to go.