Roadmap to College: I’ve Been Accepted to Several Colleges - How Do I Decide Which One to Attend?
You may have thought you were done with the hard part when you sent out your last college application. However, if you receive letters of acceptance from more than one school, you still have a very important decision to make.
To sum it all up, you need to look at several factors to help you decide which college to attend and then ask yourself the following:
- Which college meets most of my needs?
- What do my parents/close family think?
- What do my friends/peers think?
- What are the economic ramifications of choosing each college?
- Did I get the right vibe (the “X” factor)?
There is no one “best fit” college for everyone. There are probably many colleges which would best meet your needs. The most important predictor of future success is how well you do in college, not necessarily which college you attend. Some students make decisions logically, others make decisions based on their feelings; both are valuable tools in making a choice.
We all know how important your family members are in the college admissions process, and they are even more important when it comes to selecting which college to attend. Talk to your family, and ask them for their recommendations and the reasons for their choice. A family’s influence is a critical factor in the decision-making process.
Some of you may place a very high premium on where your friends and even your acquaintances will be attending college. Do you want to have at least one friend with you in college? Do you want to attend college with many friends, or do you want to be the pioneer who branches away from the pack? The only caution here is that you need to do what’s right for you and not just follow other people’s lead. Now is the time to be an independent thinker, so ultimately you should do what’s in your best interest.
Economic factors may be a prime factor in your final decision. You may need to choose a financially affordable college, which also meets your other needs. In times of economic distress, economic factors are a reality which you may not want to address but you need to face. Decisions can be delayed until March or April, when you receive your financial aid packets from most of your colleges. Students in all income levels need to take into account the financial reality of their situation when making a final choice.
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