As the semester comes to an end, seniors who applied to early action to colleges are expecting big news. Some of the major universities around the country have already distributed their letters, while others are still deliberating the applications that were submitted to them.

Anticipating letters from universities is beyond nerve-racking. It is common knowledge to most that if you receive a large envelope, you have probably been accepted, but if you open your mailbox to a small envelope, don’t get discouraged. Everyone has their fair share of declinations and acceptances.

“I applied early to college because I was eager to get a decision as early as possible,” said senior, Owen Drugan. “It felt great to receive acceptance letters. It was a relief and burden lifted off my shoulders.”

Drugan was accepted to East Carolina University, University of South Carolina, and UNC Charlotte and is still awaiting a decision from NC State University. Drugan admitted that waiting for letters is very stressful; the constant anticipation can be frightening.

“The application process is long and I would advise next year’s applicants to start the process as early as possible,” said Drugan. “However, it is very rewarding to see your hard work in high school pay off.”

Senior, Justin Fouts, also has big plans for his college career. He wants to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall of 2016. Fouts is a dedicated student with an intended major of business administration. Like other students, he went through a stressful application process, and is still awaiting acceptances from most of the universities he applied to.

“It’s not just a letter, it decides the next four to six years of your life,” said Fouts. “It was nice to have common app, but I do think the questions that they ask are a little excessive and seem unnecessary.”

The application process differs a little for a student that desires to be a collegiate athlete. Senior, Angela Delfino, plans on running track at the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2016.

“As an athlete, the application process is a little different, especially for Division I schools,” said Delfino. “Coaches can push your application, which definitely gives you an advantage on getting accepted into the school; however, at the end of the day it is just as stressful because you have the keep your performances up to par and your grades high to keep your scholarship and acceptance.”

Applying early to college has many benefits, and most early applicants are at the top of their class in academics, resulting in higher acceptance rates for the first round of applicants. One reason why applying early is desirable is because individuals get two chances to receive acceptance to their college of choice. If a student is deferred, they are re-evaluated in the second pool of applicants and will receive a decision in March or April of 2016.

“When a student gets his/her applications submitted at the beginning of the year, it allows them to focus on their senior year grades,” said counselor, Nadia Campbell. “As counselors, we encourage most students to apply early to college in order to be considered twice for acceptance.”

Applicants applying early decision or early action for fall 2014 were accepted at a 63.5% rate, according to 242 schools reporting data to U.S. News in an annual survey. However, beyond early action is an opportunity to apply regular decision to receive admission. At Wakefield last year, 68% of students went on to attend a four-year university, 25% now attend a two-year college, and 7% pursued a job or joined the military.

“The most common universities applied to in-state are UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Wilmington, East Carolina University, Appalachian State, and NC State,” said Campbell. “Out of state colleges vary from University of Virginia, University of South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Clemson, etc.”

It is very common for students to be misinformed about college applications. If a student has not applied to a college yet, counselors encourage the student to at least try to submit an application to one school. Students can learn a lot from the application process and college applications are not something to be taken lightly.

“A lot of things we do in high school seem pointless,” said Drugan. “However, you never know when something you did can help you in the future.”