For many of you, your parents grew up before the onslaught of electronic media. They “snail mailed” their applications to colleges, the great majority of which did not offer any early options, and waited, waited, waited for April 15 in order to learn their college fate! However, this process has clearly become a relic of the past.

Most likely, your parents marveled at the ease with which you applied early with a click of a mouse. This year especially, with most colleges requesting or even requiring online applications, you e-filed your “order,” hoping that it would be fulfilled quickly and successfully.

Due in part to the ease of choosing a school and uploading essays, the numbers of applications to schools that offered early admissions or early action options rose dramatically. Competition was tough, and the acceptance numbers ranged somewhat dramatically as well.

If you have been accepted to your first choice, that is wonderful news, and you can stop reading. If not, however, or if you have friends or family members who are in need of consolation and advice, read on!

For five Ivy League schools reported here, four of them accepted fewer early applicants than they had last year. Undergraduate admissions of early decision applicants to Columbia hit an all-time low of 19.6 percent, down from last year’s 21.2 percent, according to the Columbia Spectator. The total number of applicants had increased 7.2 percent. Brown accepted 20 percent (down from 23 percent); Dartmouth, 25 percent (down from 29 percent); and the University of Pennsylvania, 25 percent (down from 29 percent). Only Yale’s acceptance rate went up slightly (14.5 percent, down from 13.9 percent).

Of course, most high school seniors did not just put one application “egg” into an early admissions basket: You prepared applications to other schools for regular or rolling admissions as well. If you didn’t, though, or if you sent a limited number of applications, you may be thinking that it’s too late since so many schools have January 1 deadlines. However, in addition to the schools that offer rolling admissions, many schools have later deadlines, ranging from January 15 to July 11, 2011.

Therefore, don’t be discouraged and don’t give up! Take the opportunity of your vacation this week (especially those of you who are snowed in anyway), and research more schools. And for those of you who think you need a wider range of schools or who have been procrastinating, now is a good time to click “Apply” to a few more options!

Here is a sampling of colleges and universities that take the Common Application and that have deadlines you can meet:

Rolling Admissions: Adelphi, Alfred, Brockport, Curry, Dowling, Drexel, Hartwick, Ithaca, Long Island University/C.W. Post, Lynn, Manhattanville, Michigan, Pace, Quinnipiac, Rider, Russell Sage, Sacred Heart, University of Tampa, and the following SUNY schools: Albany, Buffalo State, Cortland, Fredonia, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, and Purchase.

January 15, 2011: American, Bard, Binghamton, Brandeis, Bryn Mahr, Bucknell, Clark, Colgate, College of the Holy Cross, Emory, Fairfield, Fordham, Haverford, Northeastern, Oberlin, Reed, Skidmore, Union, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, University of Miami, University of Stony Brook, University of Vermont, Washington University in St. Louis, and Wellesley

February 1, 2011: Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Roger Williams, University of Connecticut, University of New Hampshire, and University of Rhode Island

February 15, 2011: Drew, Iona, Marist, Muhlenberg, University of New England, and Siena.

March 1, 2011: Susquehanna and the University of Scranton

March 15, 2011: SUNY Oswego

April 1, 2011: SUNY New Paltz

July 11, 2011:HofstraUniversity

There are many more schools that have comparable deadlines. For dates, fees, and requirements, go to https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/MemberRequirements.aspx or to the individual websites of schools that do not take the Common Application.

And please contact us for advice and editing of your application essays!