If you’re going to submit an application for college, it’s best if you are familiar with the different types of college admissions and what type of admission programs your chosen universities offer. When it comes to the college application process, the admission type is an important factor because it affects the entire process, especially when it comes to any type of deadlines. Before you fill out the application and start getting together your ACT or SAT test scores, research the admissions policies of each of the colleges you’re interested in, which will be one of the following:
Regular Admission
A regular admission is the most common type, and it involves a set deadline that has to be reached before the applications can be looked at and reviewed. Usually, the deadline is somewhere between November and January – usually early January – for the fall undergraduate semester, and none of the applications are looked at until the deadline is reached. Afterwards, all of the applications are reviewed so that an admission decision can be made on each of them, which means all of the applicants have the same shot at being admitted in terms of timing (if there isn’t an early decision option or other priority deadline to which they lend favor).
That said, some schools do have a regular decision deadline that also allows for a few early admission options. In fact, several admission types can overlap at times, so the college you’re interested in may have more than one type of admission rules. This is one of the reasons to make sure you research the admissions policies and different options of application process of the colleges you love so that everything is clear to you and you can pursue all the best application options. You don’t want to miss a deadline, regardless of what time of year that deadline comes. Furthermore, you may want to strategically time different applications to abide by early decision, take advantage of rolling admissions, or otherwise set yourself up to get into some backup safety schools, while prioritizing your top choice or reach schools.
Rolling Admission
You can think of a rolling admission process as a first come, first-served type of arrangement. Instead of a set-in-stone deadline, admissions officers look at applications on an ongoing basis with this type of admission process. They review applications and either approve or deny their admission for the next semester, and once they reach their limit, they’ll stop. This means that high school students can submit their applications at any time (typically still in their senior year) and be considered for admission.
This doesn’t mean that everyone who applies is going to be accepted, and with a rolling admission policy, you’re still better off submitting your application as soon as possible. The difference between this and a standard admission school is that applications are reviewed as soon as they are received, instead of them waiting until a specific deadline to start the review process. Admissions decisions are made a little quicker as a result, but it is still important to submit your application as soon as it’s completed.
Early College Admission
Some colleges offer early decision deadlines, which means there’s a period of time when you can be considered before the regular admission students apply. The admission requirements are the same; the only difference is that you can be considered and approved for admission before their actual application period begins. There are also three main types of early decision school programs:
- Early action. Under this type of admission, students who are accepted do not have to commit to attending that particular school. Early action deadlines still apply, but the requirements aren’t very restrictive and the students can feel a little less pressure if they’re applying to more than one college or university. Early action applications usually have specific deadlines which take place early in a high school senior’s fall semester.
- Early decision. An early decision application, alternatively, is a binding contract, which means that if admitted, the student is obligated to attend that particular school. This places some restrictions on the application process and means that students with early decision plans need to think long and hard about applying to that college. It is a restrictive early action that students need to be aware of before applying, as doing so does prevent them from applying to other schools early decision, and they also need to be sure that’s the school they most want (and are financially equipped) to attend.
- Early evaluation. This simply means that students essentially receive preferential treatment in the application review process. They submit their application just as they normally would, but their application will be reviewed before all of the other applicants’ materials.
A lot of young people in their senior year of high school choose one of these early admissions options because they are anxious to know for sure if they’re accepted so that they can plan. There is also an option called an ED (early decision) II policy. The ED II policy is a binding policy that states that the student must attend that college if approved for admission. The deadline is usually in January, and it is a great option for students who have their minds set on a particular college and who wish to be approved for admission earlier than regular decision applicants, but this must be exercised with great care and thought, due to the irreversible and contractual nature.
Open Admissions
An open admissions policy means that the office of admission usually accepts every applicant who applies, provided they meet the qualifications. Many public universities adopt this policy because they are used to large classes and have large faculties. The college admissions process isn’t as tough for students applying to colleges that have open admissions policies, and it’s a good choice for those students who feel they don’t have the qualifications needed to get into top-notch or Ivy League schools.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the qualifications at these universities are lax. Prospective students still have to submit certain application materials, which usually includes SAT or ACT scores, a personal statement, recommendation letters, a high school transcript, along with any other items usually required in a common application. The main difference is that these schools usually don’t stop after accepting a certain number of students. Instead, they accept everyone who meets the basic qualifications.
Deferred Admission
The typical incoming class at many colleges isn’t always composed of 17- and 18-year-olds only. If you choose a deferred admission, you get accepted but your education doesn’t begin for another year. This type of admission is perfect for students who want to take a gap year in order to take extra classes to improve their GPA or even add some extracurricular activities to their application. Oftentimes, deferred admission has requirements that the student must meet, including the requirement that they come in as a freshman and not attend another college during the year they were waiting.
Can You Improve Your Odds of Being Accepted?
Before you become a high school graduate, you need to make a decision on the colleges you’d like to attend. The number of schools you choose should be from three to ten, depending on various factors, and sending out applications as early as possible – possibly even before your senior year of high school begins – is very important. Of course, you need to start by researching the colleges you’re most interested in so you know exactly what type of student they want on their campus.
Here are some things you can do to improve your odds of being accepted into college:
- Work hard to get good grades in the more-difficult courses
- Take a class in how to improve your ACT/SAT score
- Show them you’re truly interested in their university, and tell them why
- Write a professional but very compelling personal essay
- Try to get several letters of recommendation
- Watch your social media accounts carefully because many admissions counselors will check your page when you apply
Essentially, you don’t want your Facebook or Instagram page to be filled with curse words or things that will offend people. It’s all right to post a personal opinion about something, but don’t go overboard with it or make it sound too “out of the way.” You might also consider applying as early as possible so that you can get a fast decision. This way, you can decide what to do next. If you’re applying to many colleges at the same time, this will be a little less nerve-wracking for you because you’ll realize that one of those schools will eventually work out for you.
While you’re working on your main application, work on your financial aid package, too, and don’t worry about your finances affecting the decision of the college board. They won’t. Just make sure you don’t miss the early or regular deadline they’ve already set so that your application is seriously considered. In your junior year, become more aware of what you want from a college and what they might want from you. This way, you’ll have a much easier time when you start to get all of your college materials together for submission.
Conclusion
There are numerous types of college admissions programs, and it’s good to learn about the policies that the colleges you’re interested in have. Not all of these programs suit all students’ needs, so if you think you might need something besides a standard admissions policy, it’s good to explore your options online. Whether you choose a standard deadline or an early one, or even a deferred admission, there is one out there that is just right for you.
Just like everything else, studying the colleges’ admissions policies is important because the last thing you want to do is miss an important deadline. The more research you do, the more prepared you’ll be to apply to and be accepted by the college of your dreams, and it all starts with knowing what their admissions rules are.