THE END OF THE ADMISSIONS ROAD
You have studied, tested, written essays and filled out multiple applications. You’ve also read about and visited colleges, Internet-hopped college websites, consulted college-knowledgeable people, come down to a final list, and waited for the decisions. Finally, now is the time when all of that pays off.

• If you are not an Early Decision applicant who was accepted in December or January, then March and April are the months most admission envelopes start appearing in your snail-mail or email mailbox.

• If letters from admissions offices say that you are wait-listed, denied or offered deferred admission, then read Part A of this guide to find out what your options are.

• If you have received letters of acceptance from admission offices and are not sure which college you want to attend, then read Part B of this guide to find out what to do.

• If you know where you want to go to college and have been offered admission, congratulations! It’s time to celebrate! There are just a few things left for you to do. Read the end of Part B of this guide.

DEFINITION OF ACCEPTANCE:
Sometimes arriving in the proverbial “big fat envelope,” and other times arriving in a thin envelope or even email, regardless of size or delivery mode, an admissions acceptance letter is the formal acknowledgement from a college or university that you have been admitted.

DEFINITION OF DEFERRED ADMISSIONS:
Rather than putting applicants on a wait-list, some colleges offer a few students deferred admission for a time later than the usual fall quarter. Some deferred students are given the option of enrolling Second Quarter/Semester, freshman year. Another form of deferred admission offers applicants admission sophomore year, once the students academically prove they can handle a year of college at another college. Receiving a deferred admission is like being told, “Yes you can come, but under certain conditions and you have to wait awhile.”