Picking a College

Seniors, by now you are hopefully well aware of the fact that May 1st is national college decision day.  The colleges have all united in the fact that they will not require you to make decisions about where you will attend prior to May 1st, but this is one of the deadlines that is firm.  As you are aware, through the college application process each college has their own timeline and often have different application deadlines, financial aid deadlines, and announce their admission decisions at different times, but May 1st is a universal deadline among all colleges requiring students to declare their decision.  Please remember that this not only means that you have informed the college of your choice that you intend to attend their college, but it also typically includes submitting a deposit.  

At the same time as the seniors are trying to finalize their decision, juniors are beginning your search and trying to determine which schools you can imagine in your future.

No matter what year you are in, there are so many resources available to review and consider to aid you in making your decision. Campus visits, reviewing the college websites and meetings with admissions representatives when they visit Kilbourne are all great strategies for learning more about the college and finding the school that is the best match for you. I want to remind you that a wealth of information and resources are also available in my office that you are welcome to come in and read to help you in making your choice. There are books that give perspectives of different colleges based upon the responses current college students have provided in surveys about school, others that rank selectivity of schools based upon majors, and others that provide insight about the schools from expert researchers.

If you want to talk out your choice with someone, please feel free to stop in and talk to me or just stop by to use my books and the resources that I have in my office to help guide your decision making.

Here are a few articles related to making the college decision for seniors:

The stress of making a college decision

What the data says about choosing a college

Choosing a college - tips for parents

The right way to choose a college