Ivy Day 2021: How to Deal With It

Ivy Day is the day when all Ivy League schools release their regular admissions list online. The eight Ivies-usually release their decisions at the same time as well. Usually, the time varies every year but tends to be either 5 pm or 7 pm ET.

The Ivy League schools hold an essential place in American society – possibly no other institutions of higher education in the world have been subject to the same amount of admiration and idolatry.

What is Ivy Day?

Other schools that are not in the Ivy League but equally good have different list release dates. In 2018, Amherst announced its admissions list earlier than Ivy Day on March 23, whereas Caltech announced its list on March 10. Occasionally, a non-Ivy school's list release date overlaps with Ivy Day; NYU, for instance, announced its decisions on Ivy Day in 2018.

Ivy Day lists are only for students who applied regular decisions to at least one Ivy League school. For instance, if you applied regular decisions to Brown, Dartmouth, and Harvard, you can get your admissions notification online for each school simultaneously on Ivy Day.

Students who applied early decision or early action will get their Ivy decisions earlier, generally in December or January, depending on the school.

When Is Ivy Day 2021?

Ivy Day 2021 is April 6 and will be announced on most Ivy League school websites.

If you look at the table below, the dates and time for Ivy Day 2021 are a little later than it has been in the last few years.

Ivy Day 2021

The date is later this year because the Ivy League schools have seen a massive rise in applications. For instance, last year, Harvard received 40,248 applicants, but this year it received over 57,000! This is the most number of applications in a single admissions cycle.

Not just Harvard but many Ivy Ivy League schools have seen a similar rise in application numbers. There is no specific reason to know right now. Still, it’s possible that when Ivy League schools dropped their ACT/SAT requirements due to the coronavirus pandemic, that is one reason many students applied who normally wouldn't.

What to Do After Ivy Admissions Day

Finally, Ivy day is here, and you have spent each moment battling through the online traffic to access your admissions decisions. Many things might happen if you get selected in a few ivies but get rejected from your top choice. Or you might get rejected from all of them.

Despite your admissions decisions: What do you do next? Further, we will discuss in detail to help you to decide on different Ivy Day admissions.

If You Get Accepted to Your Top Choice Ivy!

You come online and see a flashy word on your computer screen which says "Congratulations!" before going crazy with happiness. You did it! You got accepted to your top-choice Ivy!

After you have spent time congratulating yourself and showing off your acceptance letter to family, it's time to calm down and ask yourself: what now?

Remember, if you are uncertain that this school you want to take admission in, it's excellent to wait until you have heard back from all other Ivies and non-Ivies alike before you make your final decision.

You don’t have any pressure to attend this Ivy simply because you got accepted. Know what you hope to gain from your college experience, and then choose the university wisely—Ivy or not!—whichever fits you best.

If this is your overall top-choice Ivy and you know you want to go there then, your next step will be to agree to attend this school formally.

If You Got Waitlisted/Standby at Your Top Choice Ivy!

This stage of nothingness is quite tricky to deal with, but if you have a chance to get accepted to your top choice—and you are ready to wait for some time —you have to accept the invitation to be put on their waitlist instantly. This will officially keep you in the running for a possible spot in that Ivy League school's newest freshman class.

Let’s say this school is still your top choice, so the best thing you could do is to let the school know that if you're accepted off the waitlist, you'll 100% attend. Write a letter to the school and let them know. You can also put details about what classes you want to attend. You can envision yourself being highly successful there.

Remember, whatever you can do to stress that this Ivy League school is your top priority will positively reflect you as the admissions committee works its way through the waitlist.

Sadly, the chances of hearing back about your admission after the deadline has passed are significantly less. Many college waitlist decisions aren't made until July or even right before the fall semester.

The best thing you could do is put down a deposit for your second-choice school, even if you haven't yet heard from your top-choice school, to confirm a spot at another school you are happy to go to.

In the worst-case scenario, you get selected to your top-choice school and lose your deposit money. But yippee! this means you get to attend your top choice!

If You Got Rejected by Your Top Choice School

It's normal to be upset about your rejection—you just came to know that you won't be able to attend your dream school. This is a considerable setback, so it's OK to feel angry, confused, and sad.

Remember that all Ivy League schools are tough to get into. There is a vast number of applicants who get rejected. And getting rejected says nothing about your intellectual ability and doesn’t decide your future.

After accepting your rejection, it's time to weigh your options: the schools’ Ivy and non-Ivy you have been accepted to.If you got into your second-choice school and indeed want to go there, get started on accepting your offer of admission here and on declining any admission offers you received from other schools.

On the other hand, if you don't have a second-choice school take some time to consider which college will be best suited for you. It is essential to wait until you've heard back from every school you've applied to and then look at your acceptances.

Before considering options, ask yourself these key questions to help you figure out which college will be the best fit for you:

  • Are there any schools you've been accepted you surely want to attend?
  • Where do you see yourself progressing and learning while also having fun?
  • Which colleges have provided the best financial aid packages for you?

If You got Rejected by All Ivies, you Have Applied.

Ivy day isn’t joyous for everyone. It's essential to take time and calm your mind before you make any college decisions.

Understand that college admissions are a mixed bag, mainly when it comes to the Ivy League. Many academically intelligent and qualified applicants are turned down each year. Undoubtedly, I League schools’ acceptance rates are way too low, so you're not in the minority if you get rejected!

After you have mentally processed the rejections, start looking at your other college options. Are there any colleges you want to attend which you are accepted to than others? If so, remove the schools you're not as interested in and start researching the schools you are thinking to go.

Specifically, go into detail about the academics/majors offered, campus, extracurricular activities, and each school’s overall atmosphere. One thing you could do is to check each school's official website; you can also check out real student opinions on websites such as College Confidential, Reddit, and Niche.

If possible, try visiting the campus and look at what kind of environment and facilities like library, health, transportation, hostel, canteen event, party, etc. a particular school offers students.

Lastly, one important thing to consider is the financial aid packages. If one school offers you a lot more aid than your other schools are—and the cost is a huge factor for you—the amount of financial assistance you get might be the main reason you pick a particular college.

In the end 

A rejection is not a final, complete, and unconditional criticism of who you are as a person; it’s a decision that can be overturned later on and ultimately taken in whatever way you choose to narrow down all your choices and eventually find the best college for you!

To get into the Ivy League—and other top-rated schools—you will need high SAT/ACT scores. Register now for our Flagship SAT/ACT Prep Program 

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