I am writing this as a follow up to my recent blog, Class of 2021, Fasten Your Seatbelts!. I have a few more points that I want to share. If you have a student that is headed to college in the next year or two, I hope they are useful for you.

~Many colleges have moved their regular decision release dates later in the spring, due to soaring application levels. I think we might see more colleges announcing a new date to allow themselves time to review the voluminous applications that they have received.

~Last spring, as the pandemic imposed so many changes, colleges moved back the traditional May 1st deposit deadline. They did this to allow seniors more time to evaluate their options and make a decision. I anticipate that many schools will offer a later deposit date in 2021.

~The wait list experience could be different this year. Normally I tell students that it is fine to pursue a spot on the wait list of any college that has invited them to do so. But they need to decide where to attend from the colleges that have already accepted them and realize that this is most likely the campus where they will enroll. This year, because students applied to more colleges, and the analytics that colleges use to protect yield do not have the data to predict as accurately as they have in the past, I think that wait lists might be quite active and the summer could be interesting.

~If you are the parent of a senior and your student is making a final decision about where to attend college next August, I would take a long look at two things. First, I would look at the school’s finances, to determine how stable they are. Second, I would investigate if ( almost every school has had to do this) and how they have tightened their belts and what impact this has had on their campuses. Are they laying off professors? Cutting teams? Eliminating departments? You do not want to have your child matriculate to a program that is about to be shut down by the school.

If I come up with any more important points to share, I will be sure to write Post #3!