The dead period is the most restrictive. No in-person contact is allowed, even if a prospect makes a visit to the college campus. Written and electronic communications are still permitted.

And yet, prospects still do decide to commit to schools in late December and early January, often because they’ve considered all their options, taken all their visits, and are ready to pull the trigger.

Juggling act coming up, in other words.  We’re about to find out how good Smart’s support structure at this early point is exactly.