"You are NOT the college"

I realize that this will make me seem old, but have you seen the meme's or even clips from the Jerry Springer show where they used to excitedly proclaim, "you are NOT the father..."?  That is always the image that goes through my head when seniors start narrowing down their college list and have eliminated schools from your list of options as they declare "you are NOT my college..."

It is always an exciting time because it means that (1) you are totally in control and (2) you are starting to make progress towards where you plan to attend next year.

Seniors, as you begin narrowing down those colleges that are still in the running, it is really important that you notify the other colleges that you do NOT intend to attend their school next year.

Please wait to tell the schools that you will not be attending until you are absolutely, positively, and completely sure that you are no longer considering them. However, I realize that many of you have narrowed your choice to a smaller group of colleges and you have completely eliminated others from consideration. Those which have been completely eliminated are the colleges I am recommending you notify now. 

This is important because it allows the college to plan for their upcoming student body and to know if they have room to accept other students. Think about your classmates who might be deferred or eventually on the waiting list for a school and they want to hear back from the schools as quickly as possible and there are other students across the country in the same situation. Colleges can't begin opening up additional slots until they know which students will or will not be attending. 

Additionally, if you received scholarship offers from one of the colleges that you have eliminated from the running, this can also potentially allow the college to offer that money out to other students which, again, can help people such as your fellow classmates. Believe me, the colleges will not be angry with you for deciding that you will not be attending their school - they understand that this is part of the process, so just go ahead and take a few minutes to let them know of your intent to attend a different college.

How you will notify the colleges that you are not attending will likely vary by the school.  Some colleges send you a notification postcard that you can send back to them.  Many will have a place on their portal that you can log into and report that you will not be attending.  Or, you can always email your admissions counselor at the college to inform them that you have decided to pursue your education at a different college. 

It's an exciting time and I hope you are making progress in narrowing your plans for which colleges for next year.  If you want to talk through anything related to this decision making process, please stop and see me!