Deciding Where to Apply

Guides

We recommend Edward Fiske's Selective Guide to Colleges, which gives excellent thumbnail sketches of colleges, and the Yale Daily News' Insiders Guide to the Colleges. A is for Admission by Michele Hernandez offers an unauthorized view of the admissions process at Dartmouth College. We also recommend On Writing the College Application Essay by Harry Bauld. One of our parents recommended College Admission Trade Secrets by Andrew Allen. The College Advising Office offers a collection of college catalogues, videos, viewbooks, and testing bulletins. The Internet is brimming with information. All colleges now have a home page on the World Wide Web that will provide students with the latest information about their campuses and their admissions criteria.

Selectivity

Most of our students go on to independent colleges and universities. The biggest hurdle that many of them face is their desire to apply to the same short list of colleges which most of their classmates at Deerfield, and I daresay at other New England boarding schools, are also interested in. The Ivy League is setting new records for numbers of applications, from all over the world, each year. Many smaller colleges (Amherst, Williams, Colgate, Middlebury, Bowdoin, for example) have benefited from the Ivy overflow and have also become highly selective. It is imperative that students look beyond the Northeast and beyond the standard list in order to consider the full range of colleges available to them. Pay careful attention to two pieces of information as you consider a particular college. What percentage of the students who applied were admitted last year? And what are the average SAT scores of those admitted and how do they compare with mine?

Reputation

Another word of caution -- please make your own decisions regarding the relative merits of colleges based on current information. It is easy to be influenced by stereotypes, past reputations, but times change and so do institutions! To be sure, some evaluations will appear whimsical or superficial (Was the sun shining when you visited? Did you have an attractive, charming and witty tour guide? Was the interview particularly enjoyable?), while others are more profound (Does this college have the program you are seeking? Is there a good match between your ability and the intellectual life of the college?). Remember that different colleges appeal to different individuals for a variety of reasons, and try to base your opinions on first-hand knowledge of a particular institution's unique characteristics coupled with a realistic understanding of the student's needs and talents. U.S. News & World Report and other similar ranking systems give only the most superficial glimpse of a college; they are certainly not ranking with your individual needs and talents in mind.

"Early" Application Options

Early Decision is a plan whereby the student who knows where he or she wants to go and seems well qualified can apply, usually by November 1 or 15, and receive a decision in December. There now exist numerous, confusing variations on this theme including Early Action, Early Notification, Rolling Admissions, Early Option II, Winter and Interim Options. Our advice: check out any of the early plans with the specific institution involved. A student with a clear first choice and strong qualifications at the time of application may be rewarded with early peace of mind. But, changing student preferences and dramatic academic improvement can make a binding commitment to attend a particular institution both premature and uncomfortable. And many students get swept into the early application frenzy without realistically assessing their prospects for early admission. (Almost half of our early candidates are deferred or rejected; only a few of those deferred are later admitted to that college.) A student who wishes to file an early application must feel that they are as strong a candidate as they are likely to be based on the junior year record and test scores. And remember that many colleges are now rejecting a larger number of early candidates rather than simply deferring them. Try not to get caught up in the early frenzy; give your own situation careful thought.

Military Scholarships

You might want to consider the options and economics of the military's educational programs. ROTC scholarships are fairly plump if you can win one. If you seek nomination to one of the service academies, that process must begin this Spring. If possible, student should plan to complete their physical exams over the summer, preferably with a military physician and secure nominations from members of Congress.

"Gap year"

All of the material encountered thus far in this letter pertains to students who are moving directly from Deerfield into a college setting. A number of our past students have chosen instead to spend a year in some other type of environment, and we firmly support the consideration of such an alternative. Deerfield is a relatively intense academic experience, and some of our graduating seniors are a bit worn from the pressure. A year in school abroad, volunteer social service, or an interesting job can be a great help in renewing spirits and acquiring the perspective and maturity needed to get the most out of one's college experience. Most colleges are quite willing to defer an applicant's matriculation for a year. We recommend that a student considering such a break go through the entire admission process and, after receipt of a letter of admission, notify the college of his or her intent to enroll a year hence.