Should I do an Instant Decision Session?

Hi everyone and Happy Sunday! The university where I work and study had our final Fall Open House yesterday, so I apologize for the delay in posting this! Some universities will still have opportunities for you to visit this fall, so be sure to check out those universities if you want to visit before the Holidays start! Today I want to talk to you about the choice of whether or not to take part in an instant decision session at a university that you're interested in.

Instant decision sessions vary by institutions and not all of them offer this opportunity, so it is important to check with your admissions counselor. This event is where you submit your application, test scores, letters of recommendation, and high school transcript to the college before your arrival on campus. Then, while you are out on tour or taking part in the Open House, admissions representatives review your materials and make their decision based on the materials they have on file. So, if your test scores aren't in or your transcripts aren't official, then you won't be able to receive a decision.

Here are some Pros and Cons of doing an Instant Decision Session:

Pros:

- Exactly what it says, INSTANT DECISION, if you really want to know whether you are accepted to a university, then this is the quickest way to know. You don't have to wait the three weeks (if the school has rolling admissions) or the four months (if they have a regular deadline).
- You can start planning a little earlier for your future! If you know whether you are accepted, wait-listed, or denied you can plan to apply to other schools if necessary or you can start gaining experience in the program you are interested in studying.
- If it is your top-choice university and the decision is favorable then you get to find out the fate of your future while at your dream school. That is pretty awesome!

Cons:

- There is a lot of last-minute work that goes into preparing your materials for an Instant Decision Session. You have to follow-up with your guidance department to make sure they sent everything in and that there are no delays. You also have to apply earlier than you may have planned on. It is quite a bit of stress.
- Because the admissions representatives are in a hurry to give everyone their decision, some items may be overlooked (not on purpose). Some test scores may be ignored, even though they are higher than the others, or your History teacher wrote a stronger letter of recommendation than your counselor, but they only had time to look at the one from your counselor.
- You may not get the decision you want during this visit. You could be wait-listed because your test scores aren't high enough, or you could be denied. Personally, if I am going to be denied by an institution, I'd rather it be in the comfort of my home, rather than in a public spot with others around.

There are definitely positives and negatives of choosing to take part in an Instant Decision Day, but it is important to weigh them based on your own needs and your own expectations. Personally, I never took part in an Instant Decision Session and I don't necessarily recommend doing so, just because I am a private person when it comes to school work and achievements like a college acceptance. However, if you and your family believe that an Instant Decision Session would be a positive experience for you, then why not try it out!

I hope today's post helps you consider this one aspect of college admissions and helps you weigh your options in terms of waiting for a decision or receiving it right away! If you've had a positive experience with Instant Decision, I'd love to hear, so feel free to leave it in the comments or contact me through my Contact Page! Have a great week everyone!!!

enjoy the chase,

skylar