Wellesley Regular Decision Early Evaluation?

I'm considering Wellesley and I heard about something called early evaluation in their regular decision process. Can someone explain what this is and how it might impact my application strategy?

Sure, happy to help explain! Wellesley College's Early Evaluation program is an opportunity for Regular Decision applicants to receive an early, non-binding indication of their chances of admission. This typically happens in February for applications that were completed by their January Regular Decision deadline.

If you apply for early evaluation, you'll receive one of three possible responses: "You will likely be admitted," "Your application will be reviewed again in March," or "It is unlikely you will be admitted." Note, however, that the wording of the response may not be the same.

The key thing to note here is that these decisions are not set in stone - even if you receive an "unlikely" response, you could still be admitted in the end. However, these early evaluations can provide important insights into how your application is viewed by the admissions committee and might assist you in devising your strategy for other applications.

You'll need to tick the box on the application requesting Early Evaluation, so make sure to pay attention to that. Lines can get long at other colleges' admissions offices as decision time approaches, so this might aid you in knowing earlier where you stand with Wellesley.

One thing to keep in mind though, is if Wellesley is your top choice and you are confident about your academic credentials and extracurricular involvement standing out, you may want to instead consider applying for Early Decision (ED), for which the deadline is typically in November. The acceptance rate for ED applicants is usually higher than for Regular Decision applicants, although this is also due to the typically more competitive pool of ED applicants. Of course, remember that ED is binding, meaning if you are accepted, you are committed to attending, barring exceptional circumstances such as inadequate financial aid.

In summary, the Early Evaluation option at Wellesley offers a useful opportunity to gauge your chances of admission well ahead of actual decision dates. It could help you better strategize your other applications and manage your expectations. Good luck with your application!