Getting deferred or rejected is not the news you were hoping for in this early round, but most students are going to face some rejection during this process. If you were deferred or rejected from your Early Decision school, you are now released from your binding agreement. If you were rejected, then that decision is final for this application cycle. You may not re-apply there this year. If you were deferred and are still interested in the ED school, read the deferral letter to learn what you can submit.

You may start to get acceptances from rolling and early action schools now. After all your hard work, that’s the best news ever! Keep track of anything required, but in general, you should hang tight even while the school sends you approximately 967 emails each day pressuring you to commit. Under no circumstance should you put down an enrollment deposit-- you can only put down an enrollment deposit at one school-- until you are certain you want to attend the school.

You may be ready to take college admissions tests as early as freshman or sophomore year if you have completed math courses through Algebra II (including Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II) and are a strong test taker.

Some students have acceptances already because they may have applied under a Rolling admissions deadline. Many public schools and private schools with high acceptance rates fill the class as applications come in.

Which High School Activities Really Matter for College Admissions? This blog covers a few common pitfalls I’d like to warn you against as you go through high school.

Welcome to the official beginning of the college application season with the opening of the Common App, Coalition App and University of California applications in August.