The end of December into the beginning of January is a time when seniors who applied early action or early decision to a college anxiously await their admissions decisions. (For those underclassmen unsure about the college admissions lingo, early action is a non-binding admission plan where you are free to choose another school, while early decision is a binding plan where you have to attend that school if admitted.)

Once some of the seniors were admitted (and had a chance to relax), I asked them about their opinions about the whole admissions process and their reactions to their admission.

So, which colleges were you admitted to, and, if you’re comfortable sharing, denied?

Sean Vowells: Marquette University, Indiana University, Butler University, St. Bonaventure University, and the University of Dayton (All early action)

Fernando Aviles: Princeton (Early action)

Rocco Rodrigues: Gettysburg (Early Decision)

Chris Uustal: Northwestern (Early Decision)

John Spitznagel: Drexel University (Early Action)

Justin Oei: The College of William and Mary (Early Decision)

Why did you choose to apply there?

SV: All of the schools had my desired major and they are all good schools. Lastly, they are all DI sports schools, and  I am a fan all of their teams. My plan was to apply to a lot of schools with EA and rolling admission, so I would get my decision back sooner. So far I’m 5/5!

FA: Because it’s Princeton. Princeton is obviously an amazing school. The academics and the resources are some of the best in the country. I was really interested in the Woodrow Wilson School [of Public and International Affairs] at Princeton which more or less covered every area of study that interested me. Princeton also has a beautiful campus and a lot of interesting people attending, making it the perfect place to meet new people, learn, and have an overall incredible college experience.

RR: I chose Gettysburg because of its academics, inviting campus, and the opportunities it offers (study abroad, alumni, Eisenhower Institute).

CU: It checked all the boxes, and it had a teaching style I had never seen before at any school, a fact which I found very appealing.

JS: Not only is it [Drexel University] close to home, it has all of the majors I want along with many more things in which I am interested. So, if I get there and I either dislike my major or want to double major, all of that is possible.

JO: As trite as it sounds, William and Mary really felt like the right place for me. I visited,  and I honestly fell in love with the school, traditions, and overall vibe of the student body. Plus there’s always Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens right at my doorstep.

What was your initial reaction when you got the letter/email?

SV: I was really anxious when I got the email because for some of the schools it only tells you that they’ve made an admissions decision, not whether you got in or not. The Butler email, which was the first one I got, made me extremely nervous even though there was a very high chance of me getting in.

FA: Verbatim: “HJHAJHDKFAJKDGAHKAHGVAF!!!!!!!!” I freaked out. I legitimately lost my voice because of all the yelling I did. My family and I went absolutely wild, and it took me over an hour to process the decision. I remember I read “congratulations” thing at the top and didn’t even read the rest of the letter until 20 minutes later. I’m still shook.

RR: Very happy!

CU: I was sitting in a trial when I got the email, but I was physically shaking with excitement and relief.

JS: I would say excitement but that would be too clichè. Instead, I’ll say that I felt a sense of accomplishment in the pit of my stomach, a wave of relief rushed over me, and I honestly just felt like all of my work had paid off. Just complete and utter bliss.

JO: I was trying not to check my email since we were doing a Model UN committee which I was supposed to be in charge of (but I had seen College Confidential freaking out and decided to check my email anyway). I didn’t think I was going to get in. It was really cool to be able to share the moment with a few of my friends, though.