Some seniors were already sporting apparel for the college they will be attending next year back in early December, yet other seniors will not have a definite idea of where they will be living in the fall until hearing from wait-list schools over the summer.

Applying to and getting admitted into a school early decision alleviated stress for some seniors.

“I knew I wanted to go to Tulane from the beginning of the college process,” senior Dot Wetmore said. “It was the first time Tulane ever did early decision, so I applied and then I got in two weeks after I applied. It was really nice just to have everything done since I hadn’t started half my other applications.”

For college applicants who do not receive good news from their early decision schools, the waiting period can be more tedious, according to College Counseling Director Rebecca Munda.

“For those that did not receive an acceptance before the holidays or maybe did not apply earlier, it may have made the waiting that much more challenging,” Munda said. “Although we know they’re going to have options, it’s just delaying that news.”

In addition to getting either accepted or denied from early action and early decision schools, some students received deferrals, meaning the college could not come to a definite decision, pushing their application over into the regular decision applicants’ pool.

“It makes it a lot more stressful because you don’t know where you’re going and you don’t know what the college is thinking,” senior Hailey Long said about getting deferred from her early action school. “They don’t want you, but they don’t not want you so it’s kind of a weird limbo.”

Despite applying early being in the best interest of some seniors, others would benefit more from waiting to apply regular decision and it is important that applicants work closely with the college counseling faculty to make the decision of applying early, according to Munda.

“There are factors, sometimes students don’t apply early because they’re really reliant on their senior grades to help their application,” Munda said, “or maybe the schools they’re considering are more competitive in the early round.”

The shorter the waiting period for hearing back from schools, the less time spent stressing about potential outcomes, according to Wetmore.

“I was very happy I got in because it really helped me focus on my school work and everything else going on for my senior year instead of stressing about college applications,” Wetmore said.

During the waiting period, it is important to remember that the reason for the drawn out process is because there are real people reading the applications, according to Munda.

“Waiting is never going to be easy,” Munda said. “Regardless of what I say, it’s just human nature. Especially with our society and the advancement of technology, students aren’t used to always having to wait and that’s just part of the process that is not going to change. They’re not going to get immediate gratification and that’s just the state of college admissions.”

The college process brings joy and disappointment but, in the end, everything works out the way it is supposed to, according to Long.

“Even if you don’t get in where you think you want to go, you end up in a place where you’ll do really well at,” Long said.

The best way to get through the waiting period is to just accept that it is out of the student’s hands once they submit their application, and enjoy the day-to-day life at school, according to Munda.

“I notice that those who had the most ease throughout the process were those who really just immersed themselves in our community,” Munda said.