From the hallway outside of the counseling office all the way to the senior cafeteria, students can see one of the many advantages that Washington Township High School has to offer with flyers indicating campaigning the various universities that will visit the school throughout the year. For many years now, WTHS has offered instant decision days for many of its senior students.

Instant decision day allows a student to interview with a representative from a university and discover if they are accepted to that school.

“The interviewing process enhances your skills of thinking on your feet and gives you a look of a real life setting. It [the interview] was very calm and a confidence booster.” Said Lyndsay Ferraino’17

The students who participate in the various instant decision days find out their acceptance before most other students who apply from other high schools.

“We had 38 seniors get a yes from Rowan University on November 30th.  Other students will have to wait until at least January to get an answer,” said Instant Decision Day coordinator, Mr. John Tortoriello.

This year, at least nineteen institutions have participated. They have ranged from public and private colleges and universities both in and out of state.

“I really can’t think of any disadvantage since doing instant decision is like doing early decision without the commitment of having to go to that college, “Tortoriello said.

Instant decision days are held from the beginning of the school year all the way through December. There is a lot of time that goes into planning these events. It begins with contacting colleges, updating the requirements of participating on the counseling web page, checking to make sure students meet those requirements, then printing out the necessary materials for the interview. The final step in the process is writing and sending out the times and passes for each interview.

“This is a tedious process but as long as we get positive results for our students it is worth it,” Said Tortoriello

There are three overall goals of the instant decision days. The first goal is to shorten the wait time for students to get a reply from the university.

“Students who participate in instant decision days get an answer, most often a yes, on the spot, instead of having to wait until the college sends out an official letter, “said Tortoriello.

The second goal is to get in face to face contact with a someone from a college.

“It is always good to have a name of someone the student can contact with any questions,” Tortoriello commented.

The final goal of instant decision days is to have the college come to WTHS instead of having the student go to the college. This creates convenience for the students who participate in these events. Instead of missing a school day to attend a college visit, where the student will most likely not get an answer, the student can keep up to date in all their school work and get an acceptance answer right on the spot.

There are many advantages that senior students gain by participating in instant decision days.

“A student can do every instant decision day and then choose to go anywhere. “Tortoriello commented

Besides getting on early acceptance answer, some universities waive the application fee for students who plan to do instant decision day with them.  Also, some colleges produce the amount of financial aid that the student will be getting on time of acceptance during the interview. These are huge advantages because the student can gain a better idea of what their future will be in college. These onsite instant decision days can give a better and more timely way for students to assess their college decisions.

From Temple University to Stockton University, instant decision days hold advantages from many universities that students at WTHS can gain from. There is no harm in checking on the counseling web page, signing up for the remind 101, or stopping by the counseling office to learn more about instant decision days. They are traditions for the senior students at WTHS that can give them a better plan for the road ahead.