ED applicants: prepare for Plan B

[Anonymous]

We are doing all apps by 11/1, not just the ED.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do kids really just apply to an ED school and wait around until then? I haven’t seen or heard that, most are applying to multiple colleges even if there’s an ED application in the mix.

Yup, mine did. Athletic recruit, but to a reach D3. He is likely to get it (maybe 80% chance) but it isn’t for sure. He refuses to think about a plan B. No other applications, no backup plan.

It’s his life, you know? If he doesn’t get in we’ll have a rough Christmas. On the other hand, making him apply to additional schools now would make for a rough fall, so we are taming our anxiety and hoping for the best.

I assume it’s very likely he’ll get in since he’s being athletically recruited. That really is a whole different world and process. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Excellent advice! You should always plan ahead. If you get ED acceptance, then you are excited about that and no harm. But if Deferred/rejected, it's better (IMO) to have a plan in place and be ready to go. It's the holidays, the kid will be upset about the non-acceptance. So plan when you are thinking clearly and have the applications ready to go for the next phase. That is what we did 2 years ago--and we had to implement it (Deferred in ED, so had some decisions to make---Do we ED2 or do we hold off and wait to hear---we chose hold off and wait to hear from ED school in March). But we also already had majority of applications in by Nov 1/Nov 15. Only held off on the ones without EA or early deadlines at all. Figured, why pay $75 to apply to a school with a Jan deadline if we got in ED. But the essays were 95% complete for the 3 extra schools, so it only took 2-3 hours to finish up before Xmas.


Because unless you are applying ED to a school that is not a Reach, the odds are high you are not getting admitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. My kid got deferred from a T20 that he was way way up in green in Naviance and HS counselor said (but couldn't say 100%) it was a lock. Based on all years prior-it was pretty much a sure thing.

Getting deferred from what he thought was his top choice pissed him off enough that he cranked out apps to a bunch of T10s/Ivies/T15s--prob too many but the deferral lit a fire under his *ss to prove them wrong. He ended up getting into pretty much every school RD and the 'favorite' was no longer a favorite by RD.

But, do know your kid. My kid was used to facing rejection in sports and other things and he always leveled up from the rejections. Always dug in and did better and the outcome was always better than the thing/place, etc that rejected him in the first place.

It is good to teach grit. But, for some kids this college rejection might be the first time in their entire lives they have ever heard 'no' or faced a rejection due to parents interfering and bulldozing things for them (and can't now) or the 'everyone gets a trophy'.

Unless your family has donated $10M+ to the ED school, your parents are celebrities, or you will be the star football player, nothing in the T20 is a target or safety school. They are ALL reaches. Which means even in ED, most will get rejected.

So our CC has kids plan for the worst, so everything else is basically ready to go. The only schools not submitted by Nov 1/Nov 15 were ones without EA(deadlines in Jan). otherwise kid applied to everything by the EA deadline anyhow for best shot at getting admission

[Anonymous]

Our kid applied ED and 7 EA. She didn’t apply to her #3 school as she’s saving it if needed for ED2. She has already been admitted to her #4 school so she knows that’s her worst option. If she gets deferred or rejected from
ED1 she’ll apply to #3 ED2 and if she gets accepted to #2 then she’ll withdraw her ED2 app. Always, always, always have backup plans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kid applied ED and 7 EA. She didn’t apply to her #3 school as she’s saving it if needed for ED2. She has already been admitted to her #4 school so she knows that’s her worst option. If she gets deferred or rejected from
ED1 she’ll apply to #3 ED2 and if she gets accepted to #2 then she’ll withdraw her ED2 app. Always, always, always have backup plans.

Cool plan! I like it. Good luck

[Anonymous]

Mine applied to an ED, 1 rolling (in), 2 EA, and has two RD in. He turned in the 2 RD already because one had no fee and the other you had to turn in app to get interview. He will have the other 4 completed and ready to "rage send" if he gets deferred or rejected from his ED. We just don't want to bother paying the $75 a pop for the remaining 4 on the off chance he gets accepted to his ED. But we agreed writing essays while wiping away metaphorical tears over winter break sounded awful

[Anonymous]

DS appplied to a REA Ivy but it’s not his top choice. His top is an OOS public (think Michigan, UVA) but those EAs will come later. So, using the Ivy as a bellwether. He’s already been accepted to 3 great publics, waiting on the ones like Georgia & Florida that could be strong contenders if his top choice doesn’t pan out.

Has a few RDs to work on (Vandy, Duke) but given how many kids applied RD to both from his school, I’m not seeing this as a reality.

[Anonymous]

Applied to one ED1 school and 10 EA schools (Nov 1 or Nov 15 deadlines).

8 RD and 1 ED2 app ready to go for late Dec.

Sounds similar to the plans above!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. My kid got deferred from a T20 that he was way way up in green in Naviance and HS counselor said (but couldn't say 100%) it was a lock. Based on all years prior-it was pretty much a sure thing.

Getting deferred from what he thought was his top choice pissed him off enough that he cranked out apps to a bunch of T10s/Ivies/T15s--prob too many but the deferral lit a fire under his *ss to prove them wrong. He ended up getting into pretty much every school RD and the 'favorite' was no longer a favorite by RD.

But, do know your kid. My kid was used to facing rejection in sports and other things and he always leveled up from the rejections. Always dug in and did better and the outcome was always better than the thing/place, etc that rejected him in the first place.

It is good to teach grit. But, for some kids this college rejection might be the first time in their entire lives they have ever heard 'no' or faced a rejection due to parents interfering and bulldozing things for them (and can't now) or the 'everyone gets a trophy'.

Similar story here. Mine had early rejection (from a high reach, though, so not same anticipated result). That lit a fire under her for RD apps. She got into several Ivies/T10 and top LACs.

[Anonymous]

We didn't do ED. We did EA, just 5 schools for one dc and 6 for the other. So far just one decision: admitted at a solid safety they like well enough. Plan is to possibly apply to more schools if denied at preferred in-state mid-December. If accepted there, we will be done.

[Anonymous]

If deferred for ED 1, do the terms of the deferral prohibit applying ED2 unless you first withdraw from consideration for the deferred ED1 school? Or does the ED1 deferral simply become more or less an RD type of situation?

[Anonymous]

all apps in by 11/1. 15 of them. 1 ed. the rest EA. Kids are too tired to do them later. Possibly will ED2 so one more app, but otherwise done. Best decision ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If deferred for ED 1, do the terms of the deferral prohibit applying ED2 unless you first withdraw from consideration for the deferred ED1 school? Or does the ED1 deferral simply become more or less an RD type of situation?

A deferral from ED1 releases you from the binding commitment and converts the app into an RD. It's a great idea to apply ED2 since it gives you a boost, even though not as much of a boost as ED1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If deferred for ED 1, do the terms of the deferral prohibit applying ED2 unless you first withdraw from consideration for the deferred ED1 school? Or does the ED1 deferral simply become more or less an RD type of situation?

Check the rules for your school but I do not believe most will let you apply ED2 if they have just deferred you in ED. I believe your only option is for RD consideration. But I await correction 😊