Application Strategy
Application Follow-up Activities and Notification Dates
By Lee Shulman Bierer, College Admissions Strategies – Founder
Of course, there are still a bunch of December stragglers. However, most students have written all the college application essays they’ll ever care to brainstorm, write and edit and then edit again.
Typically, we’ll see another burst of activity once the Early Decision notifications are released, typically by mid-December. But here are some tips on what seniors should be thinking about in December and January:
- Follow-up. Confirm all of the schools received your application and materials. The first place to start is with the Common Application and the Coalition applications. Check their dashboards to see if a school has downloaded your application. In addition, confirm your school materials (transcript, letters of recommendation, school profile) have been submitted. If you have any doubts, you can reach out to the admissions offices of the colleges and ask for them to confirm receipt. Check your emails (and spam) daily. Most colleges will email you access to a portal. You’ll need to create a login user name and password for each school – keep track of this information. This is where you will find any updates from the school and it’s the best place to confirm that your application is complete for each of the schools on your list. Colleges will notify you if your test scores or letters of recommendation haven’t arrived.
- Send notes. Now is a good time to show your appreciation to teachers who have taken the time to write your letters of recommendation. Hard copy, snail mail is great, but not always practical – sending an email thank you is just fine.
- Keep researching. Continue to take virtual tours and info sessions for colleges where you’re applying.
Below is an updated list of schools with their Early Action and Early Decision notification deadlines for 2022 grads:
| American University | 12/31 |
| Amherst College | early-mid December (ED) |
| Babson College | mid-Dec (ED1), 1/1 (EA) |
| Barnard College | mid-Dec |
| Bates College | 12/20 |
| Boston College | 12/15 |
| Boston University | 12/15 |
| Bowdoin College | mid-Dec |
| Brandeis University | 12/15 |
| Brown University | mid-Dec |
| Bryn Mawr College | Jan 1 |
| Bucknell University | mid-Dec |
| California Institute of Technology | mid-Dec |
| Carleton College | Dec 15 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 12/15 |
| Case Western Reserve University | 12/4 (ED1), 12/21 (EA1) |
| Chapman University | late Dec (ED1), early Feb (EA1) |
| Claremont McKenna College | 12/15 |
| Colby College | 12/15 |
| Colgate University | mid-Dec |
| College of the Holy Cross | 12/15 |
| College of William and Mary | early Dec |
| Colorado College | mid-Dec (ED1), late Dec (EA) |
| Columbia University | mid-Dec |
| Connecticut College | mid-Dec |
| Cornell University | mid-Dec |
| Dartmouth College | mid-Dec |
| Davidson College | 12/15 |
| Dickinson College | mid-Dec |
| Duke University | mid-Dec |
| Emerson College | mid-Dec (ED1), mid-Dec (EA1) |
| Emory University | 12/15 |
| Franklin and Marshall | Dec 15 |
| George Washington University | late Dec |
| Georgetown University | Dec 15 |
| Grinnell College | mid-late Dec |
| Hamilton College | 12/15 |
| Harvard University | mid-Dec |
| Harvey Mudd College | Dec 15 |
| Haverford College | 12/15 |
| Johns Hopkins University | 12/10 |
| Kenyon College | 12/15 |
| Lafayette College | 12/15 |
| Lehigh University | mid-Dec |
| Loyola Marymount University | mid-Dec (ED1), mid-Dec (EA1) |
| Macalester College | 12/5 (ED1), 12/19 (EA1) |
| Middlebury College | 12/15 |
| Miami University – Oxford | 12/1 (ED1), 12/15 (EA1) |
| MIT | mid-Dec |
| Mount Holyoke College | late Dec |
| New York University | 12/15 |
| North Carolina State | 1/30 |
| Northeastern University | 12/15 (ED1), 2/1 (EA1) |
| Northwestern University | mid-Dec |
| Oberlin College | 12/15 |
| Occidental College | 12/15 |
| Pitzer College | 12/18 |
| Pomona College | 12/15 |
| Princeton University | mid-Dec |
| Providence College | 12/1 (ED1), late Dec (EA1) |
| Purdue University | 1/15 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 12/11 (ED1), 1/29 (EA1) |
| Rice University | mid-Dec |
| Santa Clara University | late Dec (ED1), late Dec (EA1) |
| Sarah Lawrence College | late Dec (ED1), late Dec (EA1) |
| Scripps College | mid-Dec |
| Sewanee: The University of the South | early Dec (ED1), late Jan (EA1) |
| Skidmore College | mid-Dec |
| Smith College | mid-Dec |
| Southern Methodist University | mid-Dec (ED1), mid-Dec (EA1) |
| Stanford University | 12/15 |
| Swarthmore College | mid-Dec |
| Texas Christian University | 1/1 (ED1), 1/1 (EA1) |
| Trinity College | mid-Dec |
| Tufts University | mid-Dec |
| Tulane University | 11/22 4pm CT (ED1), 1/15 (EA1) |
| Union College | 12/7 (ED1), 12/18 (EA1) |
| University of Chicago | mid-Dec (ED1), mid-Dec (EA1) |
| University of Michigan | late Jan |
| University of Notre Dame | mid-Dec |
| University of Pennsylvania | mid-Dec |
| University of Richmond | 12/15 (ED1), 1/25 (EA1) |
| University of Vermont | late Dec |
| University of Virginia | mid-Dec (ED1), mid-Feb (EA1) |
| University of Wisconsin | By 1/31 |
| Vanderbilt University | mid-Dec |
| Vassar College | mid-Dec |
| Villanova University | 12/15 (ED1), 1/15 (EA1) |
| Washington and Lee University | late Dec |
| Washington U in St. Louis | 12/17 |
| Wellesley College | mid-Dec |
| Wesleyan University | mid-Dec |
| Willamette University | 12/30 (ED1), 12/30 (EA1) |
| Williams College | 12/15 |
| Yale University | 12/15 |
Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte. Send questions to: lee@collegeadmissionsstrategies.com; www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com