Making That Final College Choice

For some students, the final decision regarding which college to attend is the toughest part of the admission process. Here are some tips to help you sort out your options.

Stay as calm as possible. While this is an important decision, allowing yourself to be overwhelmed with anxiety will not help you make a better choice. Give yourself some breathing room; you don’t have to decide today, or even tomorrow. You have until May 1 to make your choice. Taking a break from worrying about choosing a college to do something fun and relaxing can make it easier to decide. If you feel pressured by parents or friends to make a choice, ask them to respect that you’re still deciding.

Stay as calm as possible. While this is an important decision, allowing yourself to be overwhelmed with anxiety will not help you make a better choice. Give yourself some breathing room; you don’t have to decide today, or even tomorrow. You have until May 1 to make your choice. Taking a break from worrying about choosing a college to do something fun and relaxing can make it easier to decide. If you feel pressured by parents or friends to make a choice, ask them to respect that you’re still deciding.

Evaluate each college separately. Before you compare colleges, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each school individually based on the characteristics that matter most to you. If you feel you need more information, do some more research? Try to visit campus, review the school’s website again, and ask questions of admission officers, faculty, and current students. Your gut instinct about each college is important to weigh as well.

Narrow your options. After mulling over what matters most to you and weighing each college’s strengths and weaknesses, you’ll likely find that at least a few of your options don’t resonate as strongly with you. It’s OK to let those colleges go.

Compare your remaining choices in pairs. Make a chart with the colleges’ names along the top and the qualities you seek along the side. For each paired comparison, write the name of the college that seems to best match each characteristic you’re looking for. Don’t forget to use both your head (logic) and heart (instinct) as you consider each pair of choices. When you’re done, add up which colleges received the most “votes” as you compared them to the others. Narrow your list further by eliminating any colleges that clearly don’t stand up to the other options.

Compare your remaining choices in pairs. Make a chart with the colleges’ names along the top and the qualities you seek along the side. For each paired comparison, write the name of the college that seems to best match each characteristic you’re looking for. Don’t forget to use both your head (logic) and heart (instinct) as you consider each pair of choices. When you’re done, add up which colleges received the most “votes” as you compared them to the others. Narrow your list further by eliminating any colleges that clearly don’t stand up to the other options.

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