You’ve probably seen those May 1 selfies and group photos of high-school seniors in shirts bearing the names of their chosen college. In the era of social media, May 1 now has its own hashtag: #DecisionDay. It's the deadline for seniors accepted to college to decide where they’re going.
Well, those photos now may be coming later in the summer. The old admissions calendar is about to be upended. Over the weekend, college admissions officers and high school counselors voted to remove sections of its ethics code to resolve a federal antitrust probe. They deleted three provisions, effective immediately:
*Offering incentives to encourage students to apply early-decision.
*Recruiting students already committed to a college after May 1.
*Soliciting students to transfer from previous year’s applicants.
Now we'll see what happens but get ready for offers for priority housing if you apply early decision, or more financial aid in June from a school you were accepted to but decided to go elsewhere, and certainly messages to transfer to those schools you turned down. Imagine a college freshman getting this message over winter break: “If you’re not happy at the University of X, we still have a spot for you.”
Let's call this the endless pursuit of students. #admissions #highered
