Regular Decision Processing Update
We Admit It! We are almost there. To date, we have downloaded almost all of our Regular Decision freshman applications. That means almost every applicant and their parent(s) should have received an initial email from our office letting them know we have received their Common Application. As of today, we estimate that there are still about 500 applications in the queue that we have yet to download (which means those 500 students and their parents have yet to receive the initial email from us). We are working hard to get those last ones processed.
While this means most of our Regular Decision applicants are now in our system, it does not mean they are all complete. There are still several thousand applications that we are working to complete. That is absolutely normal for this time of year (after all it’s only been three weeks since the deadline and sadly these 14,000+ applications and their individual components don’t process themselves).
Remember, if you check your in-box frequently, you will be kept informed about your application.
- You and your parents will receive an email from us when we download your application from Common App
- You and your parents will receive a second email from us when we complete your application (meaning we match your Common App to the other required materials)
- If we are unable to complete your application, we will send you an email letting you know what’s missing and how to submit it without penalty (these emails are generally sent in late February/early March). Only you, the applicant, will receive this email.
- Note: these emails may go to a spam or junk folder depending on your email client so check those also
If you have any lingering concerns, you can always reach out to us during normal business hours for further assistance.
While it’s too soon to say the end is in sight, this is always a great milestone to reach in our Regular Decision process. Now back to the processing, and of course, the reading.
Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Associate Dean of Admission
Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.
So excited to hear back! The wait is killing me, but hopefully it will all be worth it 🙂
@Kayla, we still have what seems like a long way to go between now and the decision release but that will all be here soon enough!
Super exciting! I can’t wait to hear back. I’m not someone who enjoys waiting (Christmas and birthdays nearly kill me), but I’m also not the one processing 14,000+ applications. 🙂 I’m looking forward to hearing more about the process. It’s pretty sweet to see it all unfolding.
@Gavin, as we mentioned to Kayla, there’s still a good amount of waiting to do on everyone’s end but we’ll get there soon enough.
“Out of sight but not out of mind”! It is really sweet of you to send emails to us now and then during the process.
@Ruili, glad you got the email and liked it. That will be the last one our applicants receive until they get their decision (reading is pretty much all-consuming!) but we’ll continue to blog to keep everyone in the loop.
Due to the snowy weather, my school made midterm exams optional. Looking at our midyear reports when making a decision, would it hurt our chances if we opted out of taking the midterm exam? Would you recommend we take them?
@Deferred Student, generally we look just at the semester grade (many schools only send us that…we don’t see individual exam grades). It’s your call as to whether or not you take your exams. Certainly they’re likely good preparation for final exams in college and they may or may not help your performance in individual classes but if your school has made them optional, whether or not to take them is up to you.
We have an interesting dilemma that I hope you can help. My daughter is an W&M early decision deferred candidate and has excelled in her first semester senior year taking college-level courses (e.g. AP courses). This week mid-term exams were to be taken but due to the winter conditions the schools have been closed and the county has made the decision to make mid-term exams optional when the students eventually return. Some teachers are indicating that if students have a solid grade in the course, that the now optional mid-term (worth up to 20%) exam will not help adjust it. Do you have any advice on taking or not taking the mid-term exam will help or hurt during the admission committee evaluation of the mid-year grade report? Also, given the county decision, who informs the admissions committee that mid-terms were optional – the school counselor in the mid-year grade report or the applicant in an email to the admissions committee? Thanks for your reply and hope you’re staying warm in Williamsburg.
@Cold in NoVA, the comment just prior to yours and our response addressed this very issue. Just go back and review the exchange from yesterday to get our take on it. If memory serves, with Fairfax, we just get a print out with a student’s semester grade; don’t think we normally get quarter or exam breakdowns anyway. Additionally, there’s no need to inform us of this year’s policy. If the school feels the need they will.
My excitement for William & Mary can not be described in words! I wish you guys the best of luck in reviewing the applications and making the best decisions. I am a big fan of the Admission officers and have watched every YouTube video out there. Thank you for being such an amazing admissions committee. People do not understand the amazing type of people you guys are. Once again, best of luck with everything and I hope to hear back from you guys soon! 🙂
@Faraz, thanks for the pep talk and kind words. We really appreciate it!
I’m so glad to hear something back! The wait is killing me but 14,000+ applications makes it no surprise. Thank you everyone in the Admission Office for taking the time to really go through every application. You guys are amazing and I wish you and all the applicants the best of luck! I hope to join you next year! Go Tribe!
@Julia, we know the wait seems eternal but it’s actually only about 3 months in total and it goes by quickly. Enjoy the application-free time and soak up your senior year! April 1 will be here soon enough.
I really can’t wait for the decision in three months! I was wondering if all of the applications have been processed. I have yet to receive the application completion email, but received the one saying that you’ve received my application a month ago..
@Julia, decisions are released by April 1 so just a bit over 2 months left so you can shave off a month! As we said in the blog, we still have thousands of applications to complete so it’s totally fine that you’ve not received the second email. As long as you receive the one you did, that’s the most important. If we have an application we’ll work with you to ensure it gets completed so just keep an eye on your in-box.
I was just wondering what if we still haven’t received an initial email stating that you all have received our application? I checked the CommonApp site and it says everything was submitted. Is this still normal?
@Tiffany, we’re still downloading about 200 applications but we would recommend checking your spam and junk folders and having your parents do the same. If still no emails from us, follow up with a phone call to our office.
My daughter has also not received the second application confirmation email… is there a date when she should follow up with Admissions to make sure nothing has gone awry (e.g., school info. never arrived)? Also, does the timeline for completion depend at all on your receiving faculty feedback on arts supplements?
And we thank you so much for sharing all the information, insight, stories, and encouragement for your applicants. We have been checking in over many months, and you have put the most friendly, welcoming face on William and Mary. We are so hoping our daughter hears good news in March. Best of luck to you on your wonderful new adventure – your cheerful spirit will carry you a long way as a new mom!
@Nervous Nellie, there’s no set timeline. We’re still in the process of completing over 4,000 applications so no need to be nervous. We understand it but it just takes a lot of time. And as long as your daughter is checking her in-box she’ll be good because if something did go awry and something didn’t arrive, we’ll email her that information and let her know how to resend whatever we’re missing (without penalty). Those emails generally begin in mid-February Completion of an application is not connected to an art submission as that is optional (an application is complete when all required components are compiled).
And just a reminder, we send decisions by April 1. They can be sent in March but it might be April 1.
I sent in my application through the CommonApp and I haven’t gotten an email or anything. This makes me worried that W&M is not interested in me at all.
@Jay Burrows, we looked up the email address you used to submit this comment and see that we did receive your application and emailed you to tell you that back in December. Have you checked your spam/junk folders? It might have landed there. You will receive another email when we complete your application.