Following the first session of Instant Decision Week that happened on October 20–21, Princeton High School students are already working to prepare for the second round of Instant Decision Week (IDW) in mid-November. IDW is an even earlier alternative to the typical early and regular rounds of admission for most schools. The process allows for high schoolers to meet one-on-one with an admissions officers from surrounding colleges to be interviewed, reviewed, and offered a same-day, non-binding admission decision.
Aside from generally demystifying the process for students who are unfamiliar with college applications, Instant Decision Week increases the accessibility of applying to college for first-generation students — students who are in the first generation of their family to pursue postsecondary education — and makes the process much more approachable. For Jessica Carrera ’27, being a first-gen student makes the college application process a completely fresh experience.
“It’s definitely an interesting kind of adventure. … No one has been to college. It’s a little stressful at times, but I think it’s manageable,” said Carrera.
To help increase college accessibility, one of the things part of IDW is the removal of the need for transportation in the college application process.
“The beauty of Instant Decision Week is really to bring New Jersey [colleges] to Princeton High School, so our first-gen students don’t actually have to travel to the schools themselves,” said Nipurna Shah, PHS’s college and career guidance counselor. “We bring the schools to them, and that really eliminates a barrier in and of itself,”
IDW also alleviates financial burden: participants get their application fee waived. Alex Lux-Beteta ’27 spoke to the importance of this IDW perk for her and her family in this process.
“It really helped me be successful, especially because, [for] a lot of first-gens, you have to pay for [college applications],” said Lux-Beteta. “And that’s not really affordable for a lot of us. It might cost hundreds of dollars per [application]. My parents don’t have that money.”
IDW also eliminates much of the stress caused by the Common Application experience: participants receive an admission decision significantly earlier than they would typically. For Lux-Beteta, this is especially a bonus for her family affairs.
“I know for me [and] my family, it would be so helpful [to know early] just because I have to help my mom, [as] she’s going through immigration processes. My sister is little, so she needs somebody to watch her,” said Lux-Beteta. “It’s not just taking off the stress of, ‘Oh, what college am I getting to get into?’ It’s [for my] family.”
However, IDW gives students more than just the possibility of getting accepted into college immediately. Shah spoke about what it offers first-gen students psychologically.
“[IDW encourages] confidence in themselves and their abilities and really being seen and heard. … It’s a badge of honor for them. It really goes back to [the fact that] their parents have never been able to go to college,” said Shah. “So when we help them achieve that dream, it’s really special for them, because they are the first set of people in their family that are going to pursue postsecondary education.”
Above all, Shah hoped that the experiences of first-gen students would build empathy among PHS students.
“Everybody’s got their own stories and their own journeys in life. It’s important to honor each and every one and respect [them],” said Shah.