Accepted! Now what? Reacting to the advice of Yale Dean of Admissions
When the dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale writes about college acceptances, it’s certainly worth a read. Jeff Brenzel recently posted on The Huffington Post his advice for students when they have been accepted to college. I thought that this was a great idea since even though it’s extremely important to discuss dealing with disappointment and roadblocks, it’s just as important to discuss what to do with those acceptance letters.
Brenzel advises students not to dwell on rejections, but I would argue that it’s okay and even healthy to allow a little “mourning time” for those skinny envelopes. Even though I was careful to apply to a mix of “reach” and “target” colleges, I was still very disappointed when I didn’t get into a few in particular. It wasn’t about one school being better or superior to others, it was about spending so much time learning about each school, imagining my life there, working hard on the application, and then having that taken off the table rather abruptly. So I think that it’s okay to spend a little time lamenting those rejections before moving on. I browsed the websites one more time, bid adieu to the viewbooks, probably cried over one or two, and then I was able to focus entirely on the colleges that did accept me.
I’m glad that Brenzel discusses the weight that we so often give to selectivity reports and ranking lists. He advises that students eventually push those aside and make a more holistic decision and I completely agree. My choice came down to Bryn Mawr College and Occidental College and I had a hard time because nobody from my high school had ever even applied to Oxy, so I felt like I was deciding between a total unknown and a well-known, prestigious women’s college. College rankings are like opinionated classmates, teachers, and guidance counselors that come with fancy numbers and percentages to back up their statements. Listen to them, understand them, but don’t let them make the decision for you. It took a lot of effort and energy to view Oxy in its own light, but I’m so glad that I did.
One of the things that helped me do this was overnight stays at each my final two contenders, which Brenzel also advises. Visiting a college as a prospective applicant and visiting as an accepted potential student are extremely different experiences. For one thing, you no longer have to take notes on average SAT scores and application requirements—this time it’s completely about what you want to know and get out of a campus visit. When I visited Bryn Mawr and Oxy post-acceptance, I had a list of specific questions regarding academics, study abroad possibilities, campus housing, academic advising, and much more that I just couldn’t get into on such a detailed level when I was still applying to college. If an in-person visit is out of the question, many admissions offices will help accepted students get in touch with current students with similar interests so that they can ask questions and gain further insight into student life at that particular university.
Last but certainly not least, I wholeheartedly agree with Brenzel’s recommendation that students (and their parents) scrutinize the financial situation for each school. This is one thing that I did not do thoroughly and it complicated things further down the road. Clarifying my situation early on would have made matters much easier after I enrolled.
What do you think of Brenzel’s article? What advice would you add?
