As of 2022, the average college acceptance rate in the U.S. is 60.7%. The majority of these colleges’ Regular Decision Applications release their decisions in March, leaving many to dub that time of the year March Madness for the anxiety with acceptances, rather than basketball. The entirety of the college application process is incredibly stressful, especially decisions. And with the Age of the Internet, almost the entire process is online, including acceptance and rejection letters. While this limits issues such as letters being lost in the mail, it also allows students to check their acceptance status during school, creating unnecessary stress for applicants.
The vast majority of colleges give their applicants a portal to find out their acceptance status, giving students a time and day or range of dates in which decisions will be released. Problems arise when these decisions come out during the school day, meaning many students receive potentially life-changing news in the middle of class. No matter the decision, receiving this information at school can be quite detrimental to students’ mental health.
Should an applicant be rejected, it is completely understandable that they will be upset. What many may not consider is receiving an acceptance during the school day can also be an issue. Research has shown that the validation students accepted to their dream schools feel can create anxiety due to achieving something so revered. Accepted or rejected, there are negative impacts for anyone getting a college decision. These are feelings that should not occur while at school.
Of course, students do not have to check their application status until they are out of school, but many will due to peer pressure or not wanting to wait anymore. The only way to combat the issue is by mandating that college acceptances need to come out after most school days are over. With time zones, this limit should be around 8 or 9 P.M. EST. This is not a perfect solution, with schools finishing at different times and students having after-school activities, but it is certainly a start.
No matter the outcome, no matter the amount of pressure, there is no denying it: releasing college decisions during the school day creates an unhealthy learning environment and an unnecessary amount of stress.
