Urban Admission Legends Debunked…Part 1

Admit It! Debunking urban admission myth from admission fact is not always easy.  And with over 4,000 colleges out there all doing things a little bit differently, there’s a lot of information to keep track of.  Well, the purpose of Admit It! is for us to tell all.  After all, this blog is subtitled “true confessions of W&M admission officers”.  So, check back periodically for a new debunked legend.  Also, feel free to post the legends you want debunked in the comments section below and we’ll be sure to address them in a future post.

So, urban admission myth number one: the date you submit your application affects a) whether or not you’re admitted and/or b) when you receive your decision letter.  Admit It! Some of you think “a” is true.  Some of you think “b” is true.  Some of you think both are true.  Actually, they’re both false for W&M.  Concerning part “a”, our readers do not know the date your application was submitted when reading your file and you’re no more likely to get in if you submit your application on August 1 (the day the Common App goes live) than if you submit it on January 1 (W&M’s regular decision due date).  As for part “b”, we send out all early decision letters on the same day and all regular decision letters on the same day.  You will not hear from us sooner if you submit your application earlier.  We need to review the entire pool before we can make the most informed decisions about whom to admit.

Wendy Livingston (’03, M.Ed ’09)
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission