Last year, I had the same question so I asked my kid how they wanted to handle ED notification day. I knew the kids and friends were feeling stressed and I didn't want to add to it. After giving it some thought, my kid asked me to make her favorite comfort food dinner before the notification time. I loved the idea and followed their lead. Over dinner, we talked about how proud we were of her, regardless of the ed result. We tried to be low key. After dinner she asked us to sit with her and I remember her nerves - she was afraid to open the portal. Thankfully the result was positive. Happiness and hugs on our home (no college swag), but some good friends had disappointing news so she was very mindful about that. Its a stressful time for all...

For ED1, our DS opened it as my wife and I watched, which is what he wanted. Low key.

We were not pleased when he was deferred.

For ED2, he opened it at school towards the end of one of his afternoon classes and had his friend look at it. His friend pranked him and said that he had been rejected.

Best to let your kid take the lead.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any specific way anyone is planning to open their notifications?
Are the kids planning to open on their own alone first?
Did anyone talk about this part; if dc will do/not do solo, or record when opening or whatever plans there may be?

Just open the mail. My ds opened his own mail addressed to him. Iwould not open his mail regardless of how anxious I might be.

What mail?

Do they actually send letters in 2025? I thought kids checked portals.

Anonymous wrote:Waiting on an ED notification for my kid soon. Expect to be deferred, if not rejected outright because the chance is 1 in 10. In the very unlikely event that my kid is accepted, we will only start thinking how to celebrate. Don't want to put the cart before the horse. Sorry for the pessimism.

+1

Kid is deciding when to actually open up the portal. Might wait a day or two because it's during an important week at school.

I secretly bought a cake for DC1 on release day and the cake was well received. I’m going to do the same for DC2.

I asked DS, because I was curious more than anything else, if they were going to wait to open their ED decision vs. opening at school.

"No, I'm going to be refreshing my email in every class" LOL

More power to him, he worked hard for this and he does not want to wait. I can't wait to get the text.

Anonymous wrote:We will have the tripod set up to record us all watching dc open the emails. I have a sweatshirt and streamers for each school they applied to and will bring them out if it is an acceptance and play their fight song.

If it is a rejection then we will all go outside and smash the 4 ceramic place settings I also bought that have the colors of each college they applied to. Of course we will not film that.

We did this for our oldest and it was great.

Your mistake was not filming the best part!

My kid wanted me there and we sat on the couch next to each other and they opened each one.

This next one-they’ll do on their own probably and just tell or text me 🤣

My kid won’t let me live down my comment about not to open a certain university’s decision email that came out right before we were heading out to a family dinner at a nice restaurant because he wasn’t going to get in and we didn’t want dinner to be ruined.

I was WL-d at the school and it’s notorious for having no rhyme or reason to its admission decisions. He did open it anyway and he did get in. Lol

Anyone asking this question clearly doesn’t get the stress these kids are under. No one wants to fail (and they do see deferrals/rejections as failing) in front of an audience.

Omg leave your poor kid alone

Anonymous wrote:Is there any specific way anyone is planning to open their notifications?
Are the kids planning to open on their own alone first?
Did anyone talk about this part; if dc will do/not do solo, or record when opening or whatever plans there may be?

Just open the mail. My ds opened his own mail addressed to him. Iwould not open his mail regardless of how anxious I might be.

Anonymous wrote:DD’s ED decision is expected Friday at 3. She plans to come home from school and take a nap and then open it. She’s her own person.

Smart kid

Anonymous wrote:Is there any specific way anyone is planning to open their notifications?
Are the kids planning to open on their own alone first?
Did anyone talk about this part; if dc will do/not do solo, or record when opening or whatever plans there may be?

We will not be recording anything. That sounds so performative and intrusive.

Anonymous wrote:I have an effigy of every AO in the country, ready to be engulfed in flames

You know they read here don't you? There goes your kid's acceptance to Hahvad now. Kid was sooo close until the AO read this.