Senior students can discover if they have been accepted into a visiting university by participating in an Instant Decision Day.

  Instant Decision Days are designed to provide students with the opportunity for a face-to-face interview with a college representative to shorten the admissions process.

  School counselor Matthew Shervington brings to light one benefit that students get by meeting directly with the person reviewing their application.

  “Rather than just feeling that they’re quantified with numbers- ‘here’s your GPA, here are your test scores, here’s your attendance’- you have a chance to not only put a face to a name but explain more about those numbers. . . you have a chance to kinda delve in and tell your story,” said Shervington.

  Senior Samantha Bechtel received acceptances from all three Instant Decision Days that she attended: Millersville, Kutztown, and Bloomsburg.

  Bechtel shares a valuable piece of advice for making a positive impression.

  “You want to be professional and you want to know things about the university because if they ask you questions about what clubs would you be interested in joining and you don’t know what their clubs that they offer are . . . that means that you aren’t as interested in the university as some other candidates would be,” said Bechtel.

  For senior Kari Cox, learning of her acceptance into York College of Pennsylvania’s highly competitive Radiology program was a huge relief.

  “I really like it because I liked knowing my answer right then and there and not having to wait for the packet because it just drives you crazy,” said Cox.

  School Counselor Kate Miklos sees Instant Decision Days as an almost overall success for this year’s participants.

  “So far this year we have only had one student who didn’t walk away knowing that they were accepted, but I do believe that they just had to improve their [SAT] score, that they weren’t ruled out of the university,” said Miklos.

  Upcoming Instant Decision Days can be found on the bulletin board just outside of the counseling office as well as on Naviance for all interested seniors.