The spring semester presents a wonderful opportunity to take an inventory of your academic experiences thus far, especially the positive ones. While underclassmen with fewer experiences may have a tough time determining interests or passions, there are simple questions to help identify them.

For example, start with a list of your classes and review them one by one. Were there any units or topics you particularly enjoyed? Were there any topics or concepts you found surprising, challenging, or unsettling? Were there questions left unanswered that you would like to explore? Were there any experiences you would like to repeat or build on? Answering these questions should help create overall themes or ideas to pursue this summer.

Don’t forget to explore your other passions, too! Have you invested in Bitcoin or want to mint an NFT? Consider pursuing an independent project about cryptocurrency. Do you love scrolling through Instagram or TikTok in your free time? Why not use social media for an independent project?

Now that you have a couple of ideas in mind, it is time to consult trusted resources for leads on specific programs, suggestions, or opportunities. If you have established a relationship with your school counselor, consider connecting with them soon to get their advice. As a counselor, my email inbox is full of summer opportunities for my students. Similarly, your school counselor will likely have several suggestions to help you narrow your search. Community leaders, school administrators, teachers, club sponsors, religious leaders, coaches, or mentors could also help you discover relevant summer opportunities, especially if your interests fall in their areas of expertise. Don’t be afraid to reach out!

Additionally, many college websites are excellent sources for summer suggestions. For example, universities such as MIT, Stanford, and Tulane offer general advice ranging from how to prepare for their specific applications to specific advice and links to summer programs for high school students.

Lastly, don’t forget to consider yourself to be a trusted source as well! If there are books, hobbies, inventions, etc., that you have stumbled upon naturally, it could be valuable to explore them further this summer.

Do Not Delay  

Now that you have identified the “what” (your theme or general idea) and the “how” (specific opportunities or programs), it is also important to pay attention to the “when” in order to successfully plan your summer. The steps noted above may take some time to achieve, so starting sooner will allow you to keep more opportunities open.

I wish summer opportunities had a definitive planning period, but unfortunately, it can span the entire spring semester. Some of the most selective research opportunities for high school students have already closed their applications, while other programs have yet to even list their summer courses! Local opportunities may become more readily available as the year progresses, with a flurry of activity in April and May. Regardless, having an idea of the experiences you would like your summer to include can help you prepare for when these opportunities open up.

Rejection is a part of life. Everyone who has tasted success has also tasted rejection. This doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. Parents can be supportive by giving students the appropriate amount of time to take the difficult news, but they should also not let students sulk for any longer than needed.

For many teens, the worst part of rejection is telling peers they didn’t get in or where they are going (especially if others will question why someone of their caliber did not get into a ‘better’ school). When dealing with a rejection, it’s important to keep things in perspective and to not allow one or two letdowns to overshadow other successes.

If a student is dealing with a rejection, here’s what to do next:

• Allow time for mourning. It’s okay to take some time to feel disappointed. Students may need some space and time to process, so let them have it.
• But don’t dwell. While it’s okay to take some time to feel sad, students shouldn’t spend all their time sulking. After an appropriate amount of time has passed, remind him or her that it’s time to move on and focus on the institutions that did grant admission.
• Focus on where they did get in. Students should go back and look at past research, compare financial aid packages, and consider the factors that prompted them to apply in the first place in order to choose where they want to enroll. A student may have an idea of his or her “second” choice, but it’s still good to weigh all other offers of admission. After a rejection, a student’s feelings about the other institutions he or she applied to may have changed.
• Stay positive! As I said before, rejection is a part of life. If students planned ahead and applied to a wide range of schools, any of which they would be happy to attend, then they will be attending a great-fit college. Focus on the journey ahead and get excited about all the new opportunities come fall.

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Early Decision, Early Action, Early Decision II, Restrictive Early Action — believe it or not, the list goes on. There is no shortage of early application options for college admissions these days, and some hold a significant statistical advantage to students. Yes, this means that in some early processes, most students are significantly more likely to receive offers of admissions than if they applied Regular Decision. The percent advantage ranges from school to school and differs when it comes to Early Action programs. Read on for a breakdown of the numbers and for insight on why students should consider participating in early admissions programs.

Types of Early Applications 

Before diving into the numbers, it’s important to understand the different early application types. The most important distinction is between Early Decision and Early Action. Early Decision is a binding contract between the applicant and the college to which they are applying. This means students can only apply Early Decision to one college or university and must attend if admitted. Students should only apply Early Decision if the university is their top choice and they feel comfortable committing to attending if they are accepted. This application deadline is typically between November 1 and 15, and students are usually notified by mid- to late December.

Early Decision II is a similar binding agreement but with a later deadline, usually the same deadline as Regular Decision. Students are typically notified of admission sometime in February before regular admission decisions come out. Some schools even allow students to switch from Regular Decision to Early Decision II by a certain deadline.

Early Action also has an early deadline — typically November 1 or November 15 — with a decision release date of mid-December. But that’s where the similarity ends. Early Action is non-binding, and standard programs allow students to apply to multiple places Early Action. However, some Restrictive Early Action or Single Choice Early Action programs restrict whether a student applies EA or ED to another college. Early Action is a good option for students with strong grades who are not ready to commit and do not need to wait on their fall senior grades.

Now that we’ve broken down these basic early admission definitions, let’s address why a student would consider one of these programs. The statistical advantages are clear.

Early Decision: A Significant Advantage, and Growing 

Let’s start with Early Decision, which can offer a significant advantage over Regular Decision. How large of an advantage? Well, that depends on the institution. Regular Decision admissions have become more competitive in recent years, while the advantage of Early Decision has increased.

Let’s take Vanderbilt University as an example. In 2023, Vanderbilt admitted 4.2% of their Regular Decision applicants. Let’s compare this to 2013, when they admitted 11.7% of Regular Decision applicants. The Regular Decision admission rate decreased by more than half over a period of 10 years.

For Early Decision admissions, it’s a different picture. In 2023, Vanderbilt admitted 15.7% of Early Decision applicants. In 2013, that number was 21.6%. Though these numbers show that the Early Decision process has also gotten more competitive during those same 10 years, the percent decrease in Early Decision admissions rates is significantly less drastic than it is for Regular Decision.

So, what does this all mean? Simply put, it means that college applicants should seriously consider having an early application strategy and including Early Decision in that strategy because it is likely to be advantageous.

Many colleges and universities are increasing the number of students they admit through the Early Decision process. The reason for this is so they can maintain or even improve their yield rates — that is, ensuring students admitted to the university are likely to enroll. After admitting a larger percentage of their class through Early Decision, colleges have fewer available spots to fill by the time they get to the Regular Decision round.

Admissions trends show that colleges are admitting a larger percentage of their class through Early Decision than they have in the past. For example, Middlebury College filled 56.32% of the class of 2017 through Early Decision — a very large percentage at the time already. Ten years later, Middlebury filled 70.68% of its class of 2027 through Early Decision.* If this trend continues, having an Early Decision strategy is going to become even more important for college hopefuls.

Early Action: Less Significant Advantage, but Worth Pursuing 

Early Action, the non-binding early application option, has a less significant statistical advantage. The Early Action pool tends to be particularly strong, as it is much smaller than Regular Decision but filled with students who were able to apply early without waiting for their fall semester grades. Early Action applicants may also have a slight advantage in terms of being reviewed first — these applicants may be offered admission when there are more spots to fill, prior to regular admissions, when there are more applications and fewer available spots.

Georgetown University, for example, offers Early Action and does not offer Early Decision. In 2022, their Early Action admission rate was 9.98% while their Regular Decision admission rate was 13.34%. This is a relatively small difference for what are already extremely difficult admission rates. So, while applying Early Action can provide students with some advantage, it is not nearly as significant as the Early Decision statistical advantage — and should never be used solely as a way to “boost” your application chances. Only apply early if your application is the best that it can be.

Colleges are making these changes in what is a rapidly evolving college admissions landscape. With test-optional policies abounding, Supreme Court case decisions affecting college admissions, and the rapidly increasing volume of applicants every year, university administrators are being strategic to meet their own admissions and enrollment goals.

Prospective students and their families who are aware of these factors and of the advantage of participating in an early admissions program are off to a great start. That said, we know the numbers and data can be overwhelming. An IvyWise counselor can help guide prospective students through every step of the college admissions process.