College Matters Class of 2023 College Acceptances

We are so proud of all our students in the Class of 2023! Here is where our students have been admitted.

American University

Arizona State University

Auburn University

Bard College

Bates College

Baylor University

Beloit College

Binghamton University

Boston College

Boston University

Brandeis University

Brown University

Bryant University

Bucknell University

California Polytechnic State Univ. - San Luis Obispo

Case Western Reserve University

The Catholic University of America

Clark Atlanta University

Clark University

Clarkson University

Clemson University

College of Charleston

The College of the Holy Cross

The College of New Jersey

College of William and Mary

Colgate University

Colorado State University

Connecticut College

Cornell University

Davidson College

Denison University

DePaul University

Dickinson College

Drew University

Drexel University

Eastern Connecticut State University

Elon University

Emerson College

Emmanuel College

Endicott College

Eugene Lang College of the New School

Fairfield University

Flagler College

Florida Atlantic University

Florida State University

Fordham University

Fort Lewis College

Franklin and Marshall College

Furman University

Georgetown University

Gettysburg College

Hamilton College

High Point University

Hobart William Smith Colleges

Hofstra University

Indiana University

Iowa State University

Ithaca College

James Madison University

Johns Hopkins University

Kenyon College

Lafayette College

Lake Forest College

Lehigh University

Louisiana State University

Loyola Marymount University

Loyola University Maryland

Macalester College

Marist College

Marquette University

Marymount University

McDaniel College

Merrimack College

Miami University (OH)

Michigan State University

Montana State University

Morehouse College

Mount Holyoke College

Muhlenberg College

Northeastern University

Nova Southeastern University

Oberlin College

Occidental College

The Ohio State University

Ohio University

Pace University-New York

Pennsylvania State University

Providence College

Purdue University

Quinnipiac University

Reed College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rice University

Roger Williams University

Rollins College

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rutgers University

Sacred Heart University

St. Andrews University - Scotland

St. John’s University - New York

St. Lawrence University

St. Michael’s College

Salve Regina University

Sarah Lawrence College

Savannah College of Art and Design

Seton Hall University

Siena College

Skidmore College

Southern Connecticut State University

Southern Methodist University

Stonehill College

Stony Brook University

SUNY Purchase

Swarthmore College

Syracuse University

Temple University

Texas A&M University

Texas Christian University

Trinity College

Tufts University

Tulane University

Union College

University of Alabama

University of Alabama - Huntsville

University of Arizona

University at Buffalo

University of California - Davis

University of California - Irvine

University of California - San Diego

University of California - Santa Cruz

University of Connecticut

University of Delaware

University of Denver

University of Georgia

University of Hartford

University of Kentucky

University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign

University of Indiana

University of Maine

University of Maryland

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

University of Massachusetts-Boston

University of Michigan

University of Missouri

University of New Hampshire

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina-Charlotte

University of Oregon

University of Pittsburgh

University of Rhode Island

University of Richmond

University of Rochester

University of San Diego

University of South Carolina

University of South Florida

University of Southern California

University of Tennessee

University of Toronto

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin

Ursinus College

Vanderbilt University

Vassar College

Villanova University

Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Wake Forest University

Wesleyan University

Wheaton College (MA)

Williams College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Xavier University

Yale University

College Matters Class of 2022 College Acceptances

We are so proud of all our students in the Class of 2022! Here is where our students have been admitted.

Appalachian State University

American University

Arizona State University

Bard College

Berklee College of Music

Bentley University

Boston College

Bowdoin College

Bowling Green State University

Brandeis University

Brown University

Bryant University

Carnegie Mellon University

Case Western Reserve University

Christopher Newport University

Clark University

Clarkson University

Clemson University

College of Charleston

The College of New Jersey

College of William and Mary

Colgate University

Colorado State University

Columbia University

Cornell University

Dartmouth College

DePaul University

Drexel University

East Carolina University

Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester)

Elon University

Endicott College

Emmanuel College

Fairfield University

Fordham University

Gettysburg College

Hamilton College

Hobart William Smith Colleges

Hofstra University

Indiana University

Ithaca College

James Madison University

Johns Hopkins University

Lawrence University

LeMoyne College

Loyola Marymount University

Loyola University Maryland

Loyola University New Orleans

Macalester College

Manhattanville College

Marist College

Merrimack College

Miami University (OH)

Michigan State University

Middlebury College

Mount Holyoke College

Northeastern University

Oberlin College

The Ohio State University

Oklahoma State University

Pace University-New York

Pennsylvania State University

Providence College

Quinnipiac University

Reed College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rice University

Roger Williams University

Rollins College

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Sacred Heart University

Salve Regina University

School of Visual Arts

St. Lawrence University

St. Olaf College

Siena College

Skidmore College

Smith College

Stonehill College

Stony Brook University

Syracuse University

Tufts University

Tulane University

Union College

University of Alabama

University of Arizona

University at Buffalo

University of California - Davis

University of California - Irvine

University of California - Santa Cruz

University of Connecticut

University of Chicago

University of Delaware

University of Denver

University of Georgia

University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign

University of Maryland

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

University of Michigan

University of Missouri

University of New Hampshire

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina-Charlotte

University of Oregon

University of Pittsburgh

University of Rhode Island

University of Rochester

University of South Carolina

University of South Florida

University of Tennessee

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

Vanderbilt University

Vassar College

Villanova University

Wake Forest University

Western Connecticut State University

Western New England

Wheaton College (MA)

Williams College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Yale University

Waitlisted! Now What? Next Steps

View fullsize

Welcome to the waitlist, the No Man’s Land of college admissions.  Unlike waiting in line at the deli counter clutching your ticket with 93 printed on it and realizing that they are currently serving number 89, the waitlist in college admissions works differently.  There is no order or ranking of students on the list, so contacting admissions to ask where you are on the waitlist is not a productive use of your time.  The waitlist is an enrollment management tool used to help a college or university meet its enrollment objectives.  Colleges look at prior yield rates, the percentage of accepted students who actually enroll, when admitting students.  For example, if a college has a yield rate of 20% and wants a class of 1,000 students, it will accept 5,000 applicants.  If the actual yield is lower than predicted, the college will utilize the waitlist to shore-up its freshmen class.  As an enrollment management tool, the waitlist is also used to shape the class.  If the university wants to expand an academic major, add geographic, socio-economic, ethnic or racial diversity, or increase the trumpet section of the marching band, they will pull students off the waitlist to meet their needs.  Although a student’s probability of getting admitted off the waitlist is unpredictable, we do have this happen to students every year.

 If you happen to be waitlisted, we offer the following advice.  First, make sure that you put an enrollment deposit down at a college to which you were admitted.  This is critical.  Because you typically won’t come off the waitlist until after the May 1st deposit deadline, you will need to put an enrollment deposit down at another school to reserve your spot.  Second, follow the directions given to you by the school that waitlisted you.  Some schools want you to simply check a box on your student portal to indicate that you wish to remain on the waitlist and others want you to submit a letter of continued interest.  Follow the directions!  If the college wants additional information, it is good to include any updates to your academic record or extracurricular curricular activities and why the colleges is a good match for you.  It should be brief and highlight new information that wasn’t included in your initial application.  Finally, don’t be a nuisance to admissions.  Reaching out to your regional admissions representative once is fine, but multiple calls, emails, and fancy chocolates won’t improve your chances.  With an overall increase in applications this application cycle, we do anticipate more movement on waitlists this year, so if you happen to be one of the lucky ones, congratulations!  

How You Can Approach Less-Than-Ideal Admission Decisions

Some colleges have released admissions decisions already. We are rooting for you to get accepted to your favorite colleges! At the same time, a part of your maturation process is learning to deal with deferrals or rejections. How can you responsibly approach these decisions as a student or parent?

Rick Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Georgia Tech, wrote a beautiful piece on this very topic. Clark does a great job providing beneficial and practical tips for prospective families through his free blog and free podcast. Read his article on deferrals and rejections here: Handling Admissions Decisions - A Coach's Guide.

Finally, take a deep breath, smile, and remember that great news is still ahead for you!

College Matters Class of 2021 College Acceptances

We are so proud of all our students in the Class of 2021! Here is where our students have been admitted so far.

Adelphi University

American University

Arizona State University

Bard College Barnard College

Boston College

Boston University

Bowdoin College

Brandeis University

Brown University

Bucknell University

Carleton University

Case Wester Reserve University

Catholic University of America

Central Connecticut State University

Clark University

Clarkson University

Clemson University

Coastal Carolina University

Colgate University

College of the Holy Cross

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado State University

Columbia University

Connecticut College

Cornell University

Curry College

Dean College

Dickinson College

Drew University

Drexel University

East Carolina University

Eastern Connecticut State University

Elon University

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach

Emory University

Endicott College

Fairfield University

Fashion Institute of Technology

Florida Atlantic University

Florida Institute of Technology

Fordham University

Franklin and Marshall College

Furman University

George Mason University

George Washington University

Georgetown University

Georgia Southern University

Gettysburg College

Goucher College

Grinnell College

Harvard University

Haverford College

Hobart William Smith Colleges

Hofstra University

Illinois Institute of Technology

Indiana University-Bloomington

Iona College

Ithaca College

James Madison University

Keene State College

Lafayette College

Lasell University

Lehigh University

Loyola University Maryland

Macalester College

Marist College 

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Merrimack College

Miami University-Oxford

Michigan State University

Middlebury College

Muhlenberg College

Nazareth College

New York University

Northeastern University

Northwestern University

Oberlin College

Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg

Pennsylvania State University-University Park

Plymouth State University

Providence College

Quinnipiac University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Ringling College of Art and Design

Rochester Institute of Technology

Roger Williams University

Rutgers University

Sacred Heart University

Saint Joseph’s University

Salve Regina University

Sarah Lawrence College

Siena College

Skidmore College

Smith College

Southern Connecticut State University

Stanford University

Stony Brook University

SUNY at Geneseo

Syracuse University

Temple University

The University of Tampa

The University of Tennessee

Tufts University

Tulane University

Union College

University at Buffalo

University of Arizona

University of British Columbia (Canada)

University of California-Los Angeles

University of California-Santa Barbara

University of Colorado-Boulder

University of Delaware

University of Denver

University of Edinburgh (UK)

University of Exeter (UK)

University of Georgia

University of Greenwich (UK)

University of Hartford

University of Maine

University of Maryland-College Park

University of Massachusetts Amherst

University of Miami

University of New Hampshire

University of New Haven

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina-Wilmington

University of Notre Dame

University of Oregon

University of Pittsburgh

University of Rhode Island

University of Richmond

University of Rochester

University of Saint Joseph

University of Scranton

University of South Carolina-Columbia

University of St Andrews (UK)

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

University of Waterloo (Canada)

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Villanova University

Wagner College

Wesleyan University

West Virginia University

Western Connecticut State University

Western New England University

Wheaton College-Massachusetts

Widener University

Wofford College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Yale University

Yeshiva University

Waitlisted! Now What?

View fullsize

Welcome to the waitlist, the No Man’s Land of college admissions.  Unlike waiting in line at the deli counter clutching your ticket with 93 printed on it and realizing that they are currently serving number 89, the waitlist in college admissions works differently.  There is no order or ranking of students on the list, so contacting admissions to ask where you are on the waitlist is not a productive use of your time.  The waitlist is an enrollment management tool used to help a college or university meet its enrollment objectives.  Colleges look at prior yield rates, the percentage of accepted students who actually enroll, when admitting students.  For example, if a college has a yield rate of 20% and wants a class of 1,000 students, it will accept 5,000 applicants.  If the actual yield is lower than predicted, the college will utilize the waitlist to shore-up its freshmen class.  As an enrollment management tool, the waitlist is also used to shape the class.  If the university wants to expand an academic major, add geographic, socio-economic, ethnic or racial diversity, or increase the trumpet section of the marching band, they will pull students off the waitlist to meet their needs.  Although a student’s probability of getting admitted off the waitlist is unpredictable, we do have this happen to students every year.

 If you happen to be waitlisted, we offer the following advice.  First, make sure that you put an enrollment deposit down at a college to which you were admitted.  This is critical.  Because you typically won’t come off the waitlist until after the May 1st deposit deadline, you will need to put an enrollment deposit down at another school to reserve your spot.  Second, follow the directions given to you by the school that waitlisted you.  Some schools want you to simply check a box on your student portal to indicate that you wish to remain on the waitlist and others want you to submit a letter of continued interest.  Follow the directions!  If the college wants additional information, it is good to include any updates to your academic record or extracurricular curricular activities and why the colleges is a good match for you.  It should be brief and highlight new information that wasn’t included in your initial application.  Finally, don’t be a nuisance to admissions.  Reaching out to your regional admissions representative once is fine, but multiple calls, emails, and fancy chocolates won’t improve your chances.  With an overall increase in applications this application cycle, we do anticipate more movement on waitlists this year, so if you happen to be one of the lucky ones, congratulations!  

How to Deal with a Deferral in Five Steps

When a deferral comes - things can get a bit shaky!

You've been deferred -- and no matter what anyone says to try to lessen the disappointment, it still feels lousy! Your parents are vacillating between trying to be comforting and hitting the panic button. You're staying off of Facebook to avoid all of the "Class of 2023!!!!" posts, even though you are genuinely happy for your friends. Some call it limbo; others call it purgatory. Here are five things you can do to right the ship and get cruising along once again.

1. Take some time for yourself. Just like the bereavement process, you need some time to grieve. That's OK. Go for a hike, binge-watch a series on Netflix, sob with your best friend, devour a pint of Ben and Jerry's "Chocolate Therapy."

2. Reassess. Once your mind is clear, it's time to move forward. We recommend that students take the "you're dead to me" approach to that deferring college until all the rest of their regular decision applications are submitted. Make sure to meet with your college advisor to take a look at your college list one more time. Do you have enough safe options that you genuinely like? 

3. Know the numbers. Traditionally, Yale defers around 50% of those that apply early action while Vanderbilt defers almost no one. Therefore, a Vanderbilt deferral has a much better shot at acceptance in the regular decision pool than the Yale deferral. Many colleges will post these numbers on their website or in an article in the college newspaper. If you can't find them, call the admission office and ask.

4. Move on. Many students find that the "you're dead to me" mindset endures. It is fine to say: if you didn't want to accept me early, I'd rather not go. For others, it's still "I can't get you out of my head." Colleges know this, and that is why we see very few regular decision acceptances after a deferral for students that do not reiterate their interest in attending. 

5. Plead your case. Pull out of the trashcan and uncrumple the deferral letter. Read what it says. Many colleges ask that you stay in touch and update them with new information to enhance your candidacy. These can include senior year grades (hopefully with more As), another teacher letter of recommendation, higher test scores, additional honors and awards, or enhanced extracurriculars. Other colleges ask that you not send anything else. You want to follow this request. If they give you the opportunity to add to your file, do so. Send a letter professing your love of the school and your desire to attend if admitted. Ask one of your senior year teachers to write you a new rec. Keep your grades up! Stay involved! 

Finally, don't let a deferral define you. Most seasoned admission officers are careful to say that they accept, reject, defer or waitlist a file, not an applicant. To them, you were just a stack of paper -- a stack that they likely reviewed in under ten minutes. So try not to take a deferral or rejection personally. They let a good one get away! 

So You Didn't Get in Early. Now What?

You knew exactly which school you wanted to attend. You applied early and got denied or deferred. What are you supposed to do now?

We hear admission officers all the time say they simply have too many qualified applicants, and even those who are denied would probably do well at the college. If you were deferred, have faith that you still may have a chance in the Regular Decision round. This is not the time to change everything about your college application process. It’s time to get back on track and try to earn admission at some other schools you’re really excited about.

Look over your college list again. Is it balanced? Generally, when students apply to a school Early Decision, it’s more of a reach. Now that you’ve been denied or deferred, make sure you are applying to enough appropriate targets and safeties, but there is no need to add a dozen more safety or reach schools. This only creates more stress because you have to write more supplements and send more applications. The key is balance and quality. Find a few schools that you feel great about and stick with those. Do some research on colleges that you previously overlooked. This country has plenty of excellent schools where you can thrive. You have to be open-minded and learn about these schools before you make judgments on them.

Trust your application. Remember that getting denied doesn’t mean you had a bad application. Each school has its own institutional priorities, so there is no need to take the decisions personally.

If you were deferred, read the school’s letter carefully and follow the student portal instructions they give. Some schools will simply ask you to be patient for the next round of decisions, while others welcome additional information. If you are asked, update the school with any significant achievements you’ve accrued since submitting your application, your improved grades in your challenging classes, and a current letter from a teacher explaining your recent progress. You might also write a short letter to the admission office reaffirming your interest in the school and why you would be a good fit there.

If you need a day or two to process the decision letter and cool down, we encourage you to take it. Then get moving once you’re ready. The most successful people in the world don’t get accepted to everything they try, but they are great at adapting when things don’t go their way. They find other ways to accomplish their goals or they discover new paths that they previously ignored. You can do the same! Have a positive and optimistic mindset. We are here to help you take the next steps, and we need you to take the lead.

Where The College Matters Class of 2020 Is Headed!

We are so proud of all our students in the Class of 2020. Here are their college decisions:

• American University (2)

• Arizona State University

• Bentley University

• Boston College (2)

• Bowdoin College

• Brown University (2)

• Bryant University

• California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

• Carnegie Mellon University

• Catholic University of America

• Champlain College

• Clemson University

• Colby College

• College of the Holy Cross

• College of William and Mary

• Columbia University

• Cornell University (4)

• Drexel University BS/MD

• Duke University

• Elon University (2)

• Endicott College

• ESADE Ramon Llull University (Spain)

• Fairfield University

• Fashion Institute of Technology

• Fordham University (2)

• Franklin and Marshall College

• Gettysburg College

• Hamilton College

• Haverford College (3)

• Hobart William Smith

• Indiana University

• Iona College

• Ithaca College

• Miami University of Ohio (2)

• Middlebury College

• New York University (3)

• Northeastern University (3)

• Oberlin College

• Ohio State University

• Pennsylvania State University (4)

• Providence College

• Quinnipiac University (2)

• Santa Clara University

• Simmons College

• Stetson University

• St. John’s University

• St. Lawrence University

• Syracuse University (3)

• The University of Tampa

• Tufts University

• Tulane University (2)

• University of Chicago

• University of Cincinnati

• University of Connecticut (6)

• University of Delaware

• University of Maine

• University of Miami

• University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

• University of Notre Dame

• University of Pennsylvania

• University of Rhode Island

• University of Rochester

• University of South Carolina

• University of Vermont (2)

• University of Virginia (2)

• United States Merchant Marine Academy

• Ursinus College

• Villanova University

• Washington University in St. Louis (2)

• Wesleyan University

• Yale University (2)