What to Do While You Wait for US Admissions Results

Clock showing the passing of time, reflecting the waiting period for US college admissions decisions – What to Do While You Wait for US Admissions Results | The Red Pen

It’s been a couple of months since you submitted your university applications. After focusing on them for the better part of last year, you may think, “Now what?” What are you supposed to do until you find out to which university you have been accepted? Instead of counting down the days left for decision letters to start trickling in and thinking about the next steps, use this time productively. There’s still a lot that you can do.

Here are some tips to stay productive while you wait for US admissions results:

1)  Focus on your exams:

If you are sitting for your grade 12 final exams, push back all thoughts of admission results and focus on studying! Universities consider your final transcripts and in some cases, can retract your acceptance if they see a drop in your academics. If you receive conditional offers, you will need to maintain your grades or achieve high scores to meet your offer and confirm your place at the university of your choice.

2)  Stop checking and rechecking message boards:

We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘a watched pot never boils.’ This has never been truer. Scouring for information will only make the wait seem longer! Aside from this, your search can also lead you to hear multiple rumours and speculations about admission statistics and release dates, ultimately causing you more harm than good. This is more especially true f your university sends out results on a rolling basis. Some students may receive offers before you so remember not to get stressed; unplug and limit your time on message boards.

3)  Continue your extracurricular activities:

Remember all those activities that you put on your application? Keep focusing on them! This is also the last chance you have to represent your school and interact with your teammates, so make the most of it. If you find that you have some free time, explore a new activity—something that you’ve always wanted to try. Just because it can’t go on your university application, doesn’t mean you can’t explore your interests and who knows, you may find something new that you enjoy.

4)  Research universities to help you make an informed choice:

Since you have applied to several universities, chances are that you will be accepted into more than one. Utilise this time to think about why you want to attend each university and make a pros and cons list to make an informed decision once you get your acceptance letters. The best way to get more information, if you haven’t done so already, is to subscribe to the university’s newsletter and connect with any alumni or current students. If you are travelling to the US soon, take this opportunity to visit universities on your list to get a sense of what life is like on campus, attend any open days or take a virtual tour on their website or YouTube or attend a webinar.

5)  Make your summer productive:

If you aren’t planning on travelling in the summer before you head off to university, there is still a lot you can do to make your summer productive. Apply for an internship in your related major to gain hands-on experience or engage in social work and give back to your community. This is also a great time to spend with your friends and family, as come fall, you will leave the country and won’t see them for a while.

6)  Follow universities or admissions officers on social media:

Many universities post updates and statistics about undergraduate admissions and life at the university on social media, so make sure that you follow those to stay up-to-date about when you can expect your results and any new developments at the university.

Ultimately, getting accepted is a numbers game. Universities get thousands of applicants each year and stressing about when you will hear back won’t give you any answers soon. Be patient and confident and know that whatever happens, happens for the best. For those of you who are thinking of taking a gap year before attending university, read our blog post If you want help on how to choose between multiple acceptances, get in touch with us. 

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Anusha Bhagat

Chief Operating Officer

PGDM, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad;
B.A in Economics, Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University

Anusha Bhagat is a growth strategist and operations expert with 15 years of
securities-industry leadership
across Hong Kong, India and Singapore.
At UBS she served as Chief Operating Officer – Equities & Investment Banking, India,
transforming an at-risk equities franchise with legacy infrastructure into a
robust, growth-ready platform and rolling out new products under enhanced
governance.

She has launched cash-equity, equity-derivatives and prime-broking businesses in
multiple Asian markets and sat on the deal-closing teams for UBS’s
acquisition of ABN Amro’s global F&O business (2006) and the GS-JB Were
Australia joint venture (2003).
Her track record spans in-house M&A, technology turnarounds,
process re-engineering and enterprise-wide risk remediation
.

Known for a collaborative, cross-functional working style, Anusha combines
front-office product insight with settlement, control, technology and
regulatory frameworks to deliver end-to-end solutions. She derives energy from
tackling challenging build-outs and supporting teams in achieving
their growth and career goals.

If Anusha weren’t a COO, she would be …
helping early-stage founders scale up as a full-time venture advisor.

The question she’s asked most often …
“How do we turn this legacy process into a competitive advantage?”

Kavita Sonawala

Chief Marketing Officer

Shikha Dhar

Associate Director, Institutional Services

Nainika Ajani

Associate Director, Partner Relations

Aneri Shah

Manager, Boarding School Admissions

Mehnaz Jaffer

Associate Director, Sales, Business Development and Marketing, Undergraduate Applications and Preparation

Aarti Anand

Associate Director, Client Servicing, Undergraduate Preparation

Sheetal Vora

Associate Director, Client Servicing, Undergraduate Applications

Tripti Singh

Associate Director, Postgraduate Services

Natasha Mankikar

Manager, MBA services

Neil Maheshwari

CFO & COO, U.S. News
& World Report,

MBA in Finance, Illinois State University;
Chartered Accountant; CPA; Bachelor’s in Accounting

Neil Maheshwari is CFO & COO of the U.S. News & World Report, L.P. He has overall responsibility for financial strategy, capital allocation, business operations and strategic investments.

He has over 30 years of experience in the media business, especially related to corporate finance, business operations, taxes and digital strategy. He was a key member of the team that led the digital transformation of U.S. News in 2010.

Neil’s career began at the New York Daily News in 1993, following its acquisition by Mort Zuckerman. Over the years his responsibilities have encompassed budgeting, contract negotiations, tax management and IT operations for the New York Daily News, U.S. News & World Report and other media entities under the family’s ownership.

As a member of the executive committee, Neil participates in crucial business-strategy decisions and their implementation. He is also deeply involved in evaluating all potential acquisition and divestiture opportunities for the media companies owned by Mort Zuckerman. His prior experience includes leading the sale of Fast Company to G & J in December 2000, as well as the sales of Atlantic Monthly, Radar magazine, Applied Printing Technologies and, most recently, the New York Daily News to Tribune Publishing in 2017.

Before joining the Daily News and U.S. News, Neil spent over four years with a mid-town CPA firm, specialising in audits and mergers & acquisitions for publishing clients. He also gained experience at the India offices of Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young.

Namita Mehta

President

Dr. Kimberly Dixit

CEO & Co-founder of
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