STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

Over the course of a year, no universal deadline looms larger than does April 15 for American taxpayers. But don’t tell that to the hundreds of thousands of families whose children need to make the final choice of a college by May 1!

For students admitted to one or more colleges this spring, the not-so-fine print on the letters of acceptance have instructed them to respond with an enrollment deposit by May 1. This date, the National Candidates’ Reply Date (NCRD), is observed by most colleges and universities in an attempt to bring closure to the college admission process.

If you are an admitted student, the rules are simple. Choose one school and submit the required enrollment deposit by May 1. Colleges cannot insist that you submit the deposit prior to May 1. And you may not submit deposits to multiple colleges. Allowable exceptions involve late (post May 1) offers of admission from Wait Lists that would require you to forfeit an initial deposit at one school in order to enroll at the school that has accepted you from the Wait List. As a matter of courtesy, you might also notify institutions that have admitted you of your decision to enroll elsewhere.

Unfortunately, the NCRD comes only weeks after you received notification of your admission decisions and financial aid offers. After months of anxious waiting, you must suddenly shift gears to make one of the most important decisions of your life. Making matters worse, everyone who knows you will have an opinion about what you should do! There is a good chance you are hearing things like: “Take the scholarship and run!” or “Wow! You got into an Ivy—you’ve got to go!” or “You know your grandfather went there and it would make him proud if you were to choose his alma mater,” or “Their engineering program is ranked higher than the others…” and so on and so on!

All of these good wishes simply add to the growing paralysis by analysis that takes over your thought process. However well intended the arguments and pitches, they don’t really contribute to productive decision-making. You need to summon all of your tact and diplomacy to step out from under the weight of these conversations and refocus on making a choice that makes sense for you. To do so, I recommend the following:

• Re-visit your priorities. Why do you want to go to college? What are the 3-4 things you want to take from your college experience? Get past the clamor of public opinion. This choice is about you and how an educational experience can best serve you.
• Reflect on the five elements of a good college fit. As a reminder, the best college for you will be one that provides:
  1. A program of study that meets your needs.
  2. A level of academic rigor/challenge commensurate with your ability/preparation.
  3. A style of instruction that matches the way you learn most comfortably.
  4. A community that feels like home.
  5. Evidence that it values you for what you do well.
• Create a spreadsheet on which you list the five elements on one axis and the colleges under consideration on the other. Then, rank the each school within each category. In other words, if you are considering five colleges assign a rating of 5 to 1 to each school under each element of a good college fit.
• Visit the campuses. Even if you have seen them before, go back. While the schools will offer tours and information sessions, give each your own “white glove” treatment. Make a point of visiting the academic departments that interest you. Talk with the professors and undergraduate students who are hanging out in that area. What do they like about their experience? What do the professors value in the students who come into their classrooms? How do the students feel about their opportunities to learn and grow?
• Evaluate costs. If money is a factor, create a spreadsheet on which you list all of the schools on one axis across the top. Then, down the side, list total educational expenses, financial aid and out-of-pocket expenses. Be exhaustive in listing all expenses and forms of financial aid. This will give you an objective look at the actual costs of attendance. I created such a template for the April 13 Web-Side Chat and would be happy to share it with you. Contact me (Peter@theadmissiongame.com) to learn more.
• Finally, put rankings aside. In all likelihood, there is very little actual difference in the strength of program at these schools. Besides, your ultimate success has much more to do with how you embrace the opportunities available to you at a given college than it does the name on the parchment that hangs on your wall after graduation!

As you approach the May 1 deadline, remember to celebrate the moment. This is about you, your life and your achievements. Remain true to yourself and you can’t go wrong!