Congratulations, you’re in! Even better, you’re in at multiple schools! Now, how do you pick?
First, figure out money stuff.
If you haven’t already, fill out Amanda Miller’s Award Letter Analyzer to calculate the bottom line for your first year at each school you’re considering. Then multiply by four (because you’ll be graduating in four years, right?).
Is there a considerable difference? If yes, you’ll have to weigh for yourself the benefits of choosing a more expensive school against the reality of likely living with less for longer after you graduate. Ask a counselor, parent, college financial aid officer or other trusted adult to help make real how much of a difference $10,000 (for example) in debt will make to your life after college. And if you’re planning to attend graduate school, then you will want to look even more closely at how much you want to spend on your undergraduate education.
Assuming money isn’t a big factor, or the money is similar among different schools, here are...
Three Ways to Decide What Your Heart Wants (in 1 Day, 1 Hour, or 1 Minute)
All three of these exercises are designed to help you tap into feelings you maybe didn’t know you had.
1. (One Day)
Imagine for the next 24 hrs you’re going to attend School A. If you have a sweatshirt or hat for that school, wear it. See how it feels. Repeat with School B, then C, etc (You do not have to buy hats for each school, just say to yourself, “I’m going to [name the school]” a few times throughout the day). You can also do this with several schools over the course of one day.
2. (One Hour)
Create a good old-fashioned pros and cons list. Ask: What’s my true intention in going to college (i.e., what do I value most)?
Gainful employment? Research the colleges’ post-graduation placement rates and take a look at the college’s office of career services website.
Fulfilling student life experience? Find out what activities thrive on each campus and what portion of students study abroad, play sports or create art/music/theater through the student life office. Basically: will you get to do the stuff you love?
Building a professional network? Find out through the career services office what industries recent alumni are involved in and how accessible they are to students.
Enriching academic experiences? Look up faculty for departments you’re interested in on RateMyProfessor.com. Compare course offerings in the major(s)/department(s) you're interested in. How do they measure up to other schools’?
If you wanna’ get fancy, rate each priority from 1-10 based on how important it is to you, then add up the points for each college. That’ll give each college a numerical score. Once you do this, ask yourself, “How do I feel now?” You may be surprised that the highest “score” school isn’t actually the one you wanted--in which case you have your decision.
3. (One Minute)
Flip a coin. Heads you go to one school, tails you go to another. Catch the coin and hide the result. Ask yourself “Which was I hoping would/wouldn’t come up?” Then look at the coin and pay attention to how you feel. Repeat, as needed. This is my favorite, fastest way. I did this with my grad school decision and it totally helped me decide.
Once you’ve done the work to evaluate your financial priorities and (this is important) you’ve talked to your parents and heard theirs, trust your gut. Then go all in—celebrate and get ready for this exciting next step.
