The Waiting is the Hardest Part

By Josh Baker on June 30, 2019

As a rising college sophomore, I remember waiting to hear back from colleges. Applying to college is one of the most stressful and drawn-out processes a teenager can go through (puberty is also up there), but there is no avoiding it.

First, you had the choices of early decision, early action, or regular decision. Early decision plans are binding — a student who is accepted as an ED applicant must attend the college. Early action plans are non-binding — students receive an early response to their application but do not have to commit to the college until the normal reply date of May 1.

via Pixabay

On top of that, there is also the numbers side of things and all the required forms. There are $75-$100 fees just to apply, the Common App, not accepted by all schools, has 6 sections, the required 600 word essay, the multiple mini-essays every school requires, the letters of recommendation from teachers and employers, the financial aid forms, the 20-page application for WOHS scholarships, the SATs taken at least twice (with tutors) all while keeping your junior year grades up and getting your driver’s license. Oh, and don’t forget to send those SAT scores (remember those?) to all the schools you applied to (at $12 per school). Tired yet? Well, we’re just getting started.

Now onto the waiting. The point where you actually receive your answer is the most tedious part, because of how much they continued to drag it out. First, you would open the email after waiting months and months for a response. Then, they would tell you in the email…that your answer is waiting for you on their website, which the schools like to call their “portal.” But first, you have to enter your username and password for that website. And then, you have to click on a button that has your actual answer! Now, picture all of this happening with your entire family anxiously crowded around you and your laptop waiting impatiently.

On top of that, colleges do not always give you confirmation. Sometimes they just send you more useless information before their answer, but the most annoying part was when they wanted to defer you. I recall receiving an email from Northeastern University, which was the last college I applied early action to that I had not heard back from yet. I got really excited, but it was just them telling me I had been deferred to the regular decision deadline. However, they spent the first 3-5 paragraphs explaining that they did not have a final answer yet. So I had to wait even longer!

A deferral from a college admissions office happens only if you apply early decision or early action. It meant that a college did not admit you in the early round but will reevaluate your application during the regular admissions period. I eventually got accepted, but the month-long extension was no fun. Lehigh University gave me the ever-elusive option of being waitlisted. Being waitlisted is unlike being deferred; the college has finished reviewing your file and made a decision to put you on a waiting list for admission. Being on a waitlist typically means that you are placed within a “holding pattern” of sorts. The admissions committee may or may not admit students from the waitlist.

Applying to college was a right of passage, it certainly toughened you up and taught me about time management, disappointment and perseverance. Although the whole process is behind me, it is still understandable that I was so stressed out about it all. Who knows what lies ahead, but I can use the lessons I have learned no so long ago to help me navigate the future. I hope that finding a wife is easier!

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