In the month of December, many seniors at the School will hear back from the colleges they applied early decision to. For some, the news will be some of the best of their life; for others, it will be devastating.
The early decision application is a binding commitment, meaning that if they get in, they must attend the school. Most of these decisions are released throughout the month of December, so many students must wait while their classmates receive news before they hear their own. Others, who didn’t apply early decision, must wait until the spring to receive their decisions.
On Instagram, students often post about their success and repost those of their classmates, meaning that college decisions are widely known within a matter of days. The College Counseling Office recently met with seniors to discourage them from sharing any news on social media regarding college decisions. Many students feel this is an unrealistic expectation that hinders their ability to celebrate with their friends. Senior Rory Newman said, “It’s hard because you want to respect the community…and yet at the same time there should be some place where you can find acceptance and celebration for yourself. I think there’s a balance.”
This attempt to find balance is crucial for seniors as they attempt to avoid causing anxiety for their peers while still celebrating their friends and sharing their own well-deserved achievements.
Celso Cardenas, one of the School’s College Counselors, said, “Our wish would be [to do] official posts once the dust settles, once everyone knows. There are ways for you to celebrate…that don’t have to be so public-facing.”
Another aspect of the process raising fears and tensions for Seniors is the idea that colleges can only pick one student from each school, which influences many seniors’ decisions about where they are applying early decision. However, Cardenas said, “There isn’t a direct impact in admissions based upon who else [from a school] is applying. I tell students this all the time. If a school wants to take five students applying from one school, they’re gonna take all five.”
As more and more decisions are released, seniors will be split between being accepted, denied, and still waiting. This, according to Cardenas, can create tension; “You have so much more of senior year to go,” Cardenas said, “We are also thinking about the long-term relationships that are there [between seniors].” He emphasized that students should celebrate their news and that of their peers, but also be considerate of those who are still in the process.