Plan Your Career

Confirming Your Admission In The USA


You will start hearing from colleges approximately four to five months before the commencement of the academic year in the U.S, i.e. in the months of March or April. Colleges might contact you through post or E – mail. There are three possibilities:

You’re accepted!

If you’re accepted, you will most probably receive a letter from the college stating that you have been offered admission in the college. You will need to confirm that you wish to join that college by sending a confirmation letter and by possibly depositing a non – refundable fee in their account.

You’re on the waitlist.

You might get a letter from the college authorities saying that you are on their ‘waitlist’. This basically means that even though your academic credentials are strong enough to get you admitted in that college, the seats are already full and you can only get admission if any other student forfeits his/her seat. You will have to confirm to the college whether you wish to stay on the waitlist or not. Being on the waitlist is a good option if that college is one your ‘Top priority’ ones.

It is always a good option to confirm your admission to any other college (if you’ve received an admission offer) while you are on the waitlist of another college. You will have to deposit a security amount to the college you confirm your admission to. This helps in minimizing risk as if the college whose waitlist you’re on does not accept you; you will still have a seat in another college. And if your ‘Top priority’ college accepts you, then you can forego your admission and security deposit in the other college and join your dream institution.

You’re rejected.

If you’re rejected, you might or might not get a letter stating so. If you do not receive a response to your application, you should contact the admissions office of the college to check the status of your application. If you’re rejected, do not be disheartened and consider the responses from other colleges.

 

What to do if you receive multiple admissions offers?

If you’re one of those lucky few who have received admission offers from more than one college, you have some important decisions to make.

Out of the total colleges that you applied to, you might have one or two that you would prefer over all others. Do reconsider all your options equally even if one of the admission offers is from one of your ‘Top Priority’ colleges. What is important to understand is that even though you might feel that a particular college is the best for you, it might not be offering you the best ‘package’ or admission offer.

You should re – consider these factors before choosing which admission offer to accept:

Course

Even though you might want to join a particular college more than the others, it is possible that it does not offer your ideal course. It is very important to prioritize your course while choosing to accept an admission offer. If a college offers many majors related to your field, it will prove to be a better option than a college that offers you limited options in terms of your course.

Reputation

Reputation plays a very important role in deciding the value of your degree and in determining the kind of jobs you will get once you graduate. Do not make the mistake of considering the reputation of the college without considering the reputation of your academic department/course. It is very possible that the college you join does not have a great reputation, but is known for the course you wish to pursue.

Financial Aids

Even though it is most likely that the colleges you applied to are the ones you can afford, do take into consideration the kind of financial aids a college is offering you before you choose a college. If a college is offering you a scholarship or some other type of grant, you might want to choose that college over others as your total expenditure might significantly reduce.

Student Life

Consider the student life at the college before you make a decision. Some colleges have very active international student communities which help new students adjust and adapt to the college. You might be more comfortable in a college which has a lot of international students compared to a college which has very few.

Location

The location of the college might play an important role in the decision making process. You might not want to spend so many years of your life in an extremely cold place, or you might not want to live in a small town. Research about the location of the college and find out about its climate, environment, safety etc.

All these above factors can help you choose one college over the others. You should conduct intensive research before choosing a college. Go through the internet, speak to alumni of the college, speak to the admissions office, find out about the student community at the college etc.

Do not let pre – conceived notions come into your mind and look at each offer neutrally. Weigh all your options and make a careful and wise decision. Ideally, the college you choose out of the ones that have offered you admission should comprise of an ideal combination of the above factors.

Once you choose which admission offer to accept, you will need to send a ‘Letter of Acceptance’ to that particular college so as to confirm your admission. In most cases, you will also be required to submit a non – refundable deposit with the college as a proof of your confirmation. In case the college is offering you financial aids, you might be required to send a separate letter accepting or rejecting the financial aid.

Be careful about the reply deadline as most colleges will want you to respond before a specified date. If you miss the reply deadline, then the college will assume that you do not wish to take admission in that college and will give your seat to another candidate.

The exact instructions you have to follow in order to accept the admission offer will generally be mentioned in the letter you receive. You will be required to follow these instructions to not only confirm your admission but also to request the college to send you the ‘I – 20’ form. You will require this form in order to apply for your visa.

It is also ideal to send humble ‘Letters of Regret’ to the colleges that offered you admission stating that you do not wish to join their college. This will help them allocate the seat and financial aid to other candidates.


Study in USA