It is the middle of December, and many seniors have finished their college applications. Early Action, Early Decision, and scholarship consideration deadlines covered students’ calendars from October to December. After you hit that “Submit” button, you feel a gigantic weight lift off your shoulders but it is soon replaced by another, equally stressful one: waiting. Fortunately, for Early Action and Early Decision applications, we do not have to wait until April 1st for our notification. We anxiously wait for a span of a few months for the envelope that could decide our future. As a student who recently submitted five of her applications, I am here to provide some insight as to how to treat your seniors during this stressful time.

For the students who applied Early Decision, this means that they are telling that university “If you accept me, I will attend.” You can only apply to one school at a time Early Decision. You, your parents, and your guidance counselor sign an agreement stating this. The university will typically notify you of their decision within a month and a half. The only way that you can get out of an Early Decision acceptance is if you do not receive enough money from the university and you can prove that you are unable to afford it. These students are applying to their dream school, so it is an extremely stressful time. Due to the amount of stress, many students do not want to share with everyone where they are applying Early Decision, because if they do not attend that university, it is because they were rejected, waitlisted, or deferred (unless they do not receive enough money to afford it). I would like to let everyone know how to approach these situations because it can easily go wrong.

If you want to ask someone if they applied anywhere Early Decision, it is best not to do it in front of a whole bunch of people. The person you are asking may not want everyone to know where they are applying Early Decision. The student may feel that it is rude to not answer your question, but also does not want the entire school to know about where he/she is applying. Thanks to social media, the student or their parents will most likely post something about getting into their dream university. If the student does not use social media, it is best to ask them about their admissions decision in private. Personally, I have witnessed these awkward moments when a student will ask someone if they got into their dream school and they feel compelled to respond.

Think about if you were just rejected from your dream school. Would you be upset? Most students would be, but we all know that everywhere we apply we would be happy to attend, regardless of whether it was the top of your list. Now imagine if someone asked you if you got into that school in front of the entire class. You have to relive the experience and tell people that no, you did not get in, but there are other schools out there that would be thrilled to have you. Even if you knew that it was your reach school, it always hurts to be rejected and your friends should understand that.

Rejection is a part of life, and we know that unfortunately, not everyone can get into the school of their dreams. Here is a list of the acceptance rates for some of the most popular selective schools among our seniors:

Note: The data regarding the amount of applicants from AMHS is from Naviance

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • Applicants: 35,875
  • Accepted: 9,386 (15% from out-of-state applicants)
  • 28 applicants from AMHS
• Duke University
  • Applicants: 31,186
  • Accepted: 3,569 (11%)
  • 23 applicants from AMHS
• Wake Forest University:
  • Applicants: 13,282
  • Accepted: 3,902 (29.38%)
  • 18 applicants from AMHS
• Tulane University:
  • Applicants: 26,257
  • Accepted: 7,878 (30%)
  • 18 applicants from AMHS
• University of Virginia
  • Applicants: 30,840
  • Accepted: 9,186 (29.8%)
  • 16 applicants from AMHS
• Vanderbilt University:
  • Applicants: 32,442
  • Accepted: 3,487 (10.7%)
  • 15 applicants from AMHS
• Emory University:
  • Applicants: 19,924
  • Accepted: 5,014 (25.2%)
  • 12 applicants from AMHS
• Columbia University:
  • Applicants: 36,250
  • Accepted: 2,222 (6.1%)
  • 11 applicants from AMHS
• Johns Hopkins University:
  • Applicants: 27,094
  • Accepted: 3,234 (11.9%)
  • 11 applicants from AMHS
• College of William and Mary:
  • Applicants: 14,382
  • Accepted: 5,322 (37%)
  • 10 applicants from AMHS
• Cornell University:
  • Applicants: 44,965
  • Accepted: 6,337 (14.1%)
  • 10 applicants from AMHS
• Georgia Institute of Technology:
  • Applicants: 27,270
  • Accepted: 8,726 (32%)
  • 10 applicants from AMHS

Personally, I am hearing back from one of the colleges that I applied to in one week, and I could not be more anxious. Fortunately, I hear back during the break so I do not have to go to school the following day and worry about anyone asking me if I got in. I implore you to please respect people’s privacy and not ask them about admissions decisions in front of others. If you are not yet a senior, you will eventually understand what it is like to be in this stressful time, and you will be grateful for the mutual respect given by your classmates when it is notification time.